Raven Beauty
by SinisterSaint
Summary: In the apparently cursed town of Nibelheim, Vincent discovers that Tifa has the ability to see him through his shadowy cloak; intrigued, he beckons her to find him... Vampire/VincentxTifaxCloud. Chap. 13 in the making, FINALLY! Previous Chapters Updated!
1. Prologue

[A/N: Here's a taste of my next and forthcoming story; a tragic love story between two battered souls; that of Vincent and Tifa. I'm planning for a lot of darkness and melancholy; so if you're in a dark mood, this just might be the story for you. Rated R for violence and maybe some sexual situations. Please, read, review, but mostly, enjoy.] …...... [A/N part deux: As some of you may know, I've left this story on pause for quite a while. I've decided to go through and tweak it grammatically here and there, being that I've had some time to mature in context and style. Each chapter will have minor changes, however the concept and plot will remain the same.]

..x.X.x. Prologue .x.X.x..

Often had she heard the lonely echos of melancholy in the depths of the night- throughout her life, she had become quite used to it. The voice had probed her mind and painted dark pictures in her memory. Her dreams were sometimes consumed by nothing but the sadness and loss that resounded in the mournful cries.

She wasn't even sure if the voice was meant for her to acknowledge; but maybe that was just her heart trying to persuade her that it wasn't meant for her ears. She tried to shut the voice out of her mind, out of her life, but to no avail.

It always writhed into her senses, leaving her barren and cold, feeling just as lonely as the voice had sounded.

When she was younger, she would often wake up to the nightmarish music that seemed to call her name. It first came to her soon after her mother had died, and when she told the others around her (those who proclaimed to be her friends) they merely said she was suffering from mental fatigue over her mother's death- that she simply wished to hear the voice of her mother once again.

She would smile and say no more, wishing to accept this as fact. As much as her mind argued to make it the truth, her heart knew differently. For a start, the voice was nothing like her mother's. It was deep and melodic, and felt very much _alive_, as if the sound and laments contained their own pulses of life.

Secondly it was a man, somewhere in this world or the next, in her reality or her fantasy, that was trying to reach for her or whoever he was yearning for.

Now, so many years later, those deeply haunting dreams had returned, and they were just as sullen and touching as she had so vibrantly remembered.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	2. Raven Beauty

[A/N part deux: Ok, again here just tweaking some of the grammatical errors (Ugh!) and toning down the descriptive imagery a bit. Just a bit! I don't know why I went so berserk on the thesaurus before; in hindsight it made the story flow a little less easily. Hopefully this will roll off the mind's tongue a little more fluidly ^^]

.x.X.x. Raven Beauty .x.X.x.

Tifa sat upright with the speed of a frightened dove, a thin layer of nervous sweat glistening on her pale, clammy skin. Her dark wine eyes darted across the shadows in her large bedroom as if expecting a misshapen creature to lunge at her any second. Her heart thumped furiously in her chest as her breathing sounded heavily against the walls, the mournful voice still resonating in her ears.

Something moved beside her and she nearly jumped from her skin, her alarmed glance darting to the occupied pillow beside hers. A pair of cold blue eyes fluttered open and peered up at her, followed by a quiet sleepy groan.

When Cloud saw the tension in Tifa's eyes and heard the shallow breaths emitted from her trembling lips, he immediately sat up and slipping his arms around her. Feeling how much her body quivered, he tightened his hold in an attempt to soothe her enigmatic fears.

He spoke quietly to her, stroking her hair tenderly, feeling how matted it had become from her restless turning in the darkness. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Tifa could think of no words that could accurately describe the anguish in the voice that had called to her. She held Cloud closer to her, wishing to feel the protection of his strong arms, wishing that he could erase the memory of the horrible dream.

The haunting, twisted melody brought back to life all the heart wrenching pain of her mother and father's death. It seemed to tug at her hidden emotions, those of which she tried to keep locked away from consciousness.

The melancholy tune danced around her mind, playing all the images behind her eyes that she wished to never see again. She was a very strong young woman, yet this voice- this agonized plea broke down every barrier she had ever created and peeled apart her emotions.

It literally scared her beyond the depths of the abyss, as if it were reaching it's long and twisted fingers to grasp at her and take her away from life. It was strange how something so simple could shake one's consciousness so easily, as if an ancient riddle had been synthesized into the voice, riddling her to fall into it's fear ridden spell. It just didn't make sense why it left her feeling so vulnerable..

To her dismay, Cloud pulled himself from her just far enough so that he could look her straight in the eyes. "Tifa, I'm right here with you. I'm not going to let anything happen, ok?" He placed a warm, tender kiss on her forehead.

Tifa closed her eyes, almost feeling childish for the fear she was experiencing from a mere dream. Regardless, if _anyone_ would understand, it was him.

"It's.. Those dreams again, Cloud." Her voice was soft and trembled just as much as her hands, which she held tightly around his warmth. "The voice from my childhood.. That deep, empty cry.."

Her eyes were fixed on the darkness behind Cloud as she bit her lip, hoping that he wouldn't ridicule her for her simple, fatuous nightmare. Yet when she lifted her eyes to his handsome face, he showed none other than concern and reckoning. He didn't smile or scoff, only nodded in silent acceptance, remembering the anxiety and anguish she had felt when the nightmares first came to her in their more youthful years.

Tifa would often come to him crying, usually behind the backs of the other children in their outlandish town of Nibelheim. They belittled any contact with Cloud in those days and would scorn her if she ever so much as looked at the boy; So in the darkness of the night when her dreams became just unbearble, she would sneak into Cloud's window and lay in his arms, begging him to make them disappear.

Just like now.

He tenderly stroked her hair and laid back, slowly pulling her down in a quiet invitation to his warmth. He left his arms around her to show that he wouldn't let her go for the duration of the night, that he would protect her unfailingly. She accepted and nestled in, closing her eyes and sighing deeply.

As the night slipped further into the dawn, Tifa finally managed to fall into a shallow, discomforting sleep. While she was relieved that the voice wasn't there waiting for her, in it's place was a shadowy figure.

She concentrated on it openly, trying to manifest the image into something she could recognize or understand. She couldn't focus -it seemed as though it was shrouded in the misery of it's own bleak existence, and just before she could approach it further, it imploded into nothing but the pitch black of darkness, enveloping her mind with a sadistic sense of nothingness.

Her eyes fluttered open as quickly as the darkness came upon her, and to her contentment and relief, it was daylight.

The brilliant rays of the morning sun filled her heart with a renewed sense of happiness and she readily embraced it with open arms; The darkness was finally gone. All the thoughts and feelings of despair quickly vanished, and were just as soon replaced with an energy of life and gratification. The sensation of Cloud's arms still around her tightly brought a smile to her face as she looked up to see the sleeping features of her beloved.

/The night is gone.. Along with the emptiness and desolation./ She sighed inwardly. /Back to the thoughts of my childhood.. What is it that's bringing these horrid nightmares back to me? Those were just simple, childhood fears.. Fears that I overcame./

Tifa gently attempted to remove herself from the grasp of the sleeping Cloud, yet as soon as she wriggled the slightest bit, he turned over muttering meaningless nothings from his dreams, smothering her beneath his mass.

She let out a muffled cry just before his arm landed across her face, and before much longer she was being snuggled to death like a giant teddy bear. He had her unconsciously pinned, dashing any hopes of escape.

She looked up at him from underneath the assortment of his arm to see his relaxed and peacefully sleeping features, the biggest grin spread across his face. He was obviously dreaming of snuggling with a giant teddy bear.

/Not that I mind.. Except the small, tiny, meaningless fact that I can't _breathe_./ She thought ruefully.

She began to fruitlessly jab him in the side with a restrained elbow until the signs of life began to stir. Cloud's eyes slowly drifted open and looked down at the strangled Tifa beneath him. He blinked several, deliberate times as the wine colored gaze of the young girl stared up at him, patiently waiting for release.

Cloud smiled brightly at her, quite content with the position they were in. "Good morning, Tifa." He said with sunshine dripping from his voice.

She let forth another muffled cry as Cloud effortlessly turned over, flipping her over to the other side where he happily held her tighter, making any kind of movement unthinkable. The chill of the untouched blankets shocked her, sending goose bumps along every centimeter of her exposed skin.

She shot a deadly look at his face, only to see that he had closed his eyes once more, playfully willing himself to go back to sleep.

"I don't think so sweetheart." She whispered as she began to struggle for the freedom of at least one arm. After what seemed like decades of trying, she finally managed to grasp the edge of a nearby pillow, and with a deft flick of her wrist, the pillow made a quick flight towards Cloud's face, landing with a satisfying _thud_.

Tifa smiled, waiting for the grasp of his arms to lift away, or at least slacken so she could slip free..

Nothing.

Cloud merely forced his counterfeit snore into a louder one. Tifa clenched her jaw and furrowed her brows in frustration, flinging the pillow insanely again and again against his annoyingly handsome face.

Unable to hold it back any longer, Cloud finally laughed and muttered between definite blows, "Alright, alright! You win."

It was then when he released her that Tifa realized that it wasn't the blanket that was cold anymore, but the _lack_ of blankets as she plummeted to the floor. She groaned, silently vowing for revenge.

Cloud's face appeared above her as he looked down at her from the warm comfort of the bed. He was smiling graciously at his own little accomplishment, then after a moment of watching her poison filled eyes reached a hand down to help lift her to her feet...

...to which she replied with a deft smack in the face with the pillow that was still clenched in her fist. Tifa then smiled just as happily as Cloud had, picking herself up and satisfactorily pranced to the door.

Quickly leaving the room, she shut the door behind her just in time to hear the weight of a pillow in flight smash into it, barely missing her by a hairs width.

/HAH!/ Was her last thought as she descended down the flight of stairs to the kitchen.

Now this is how life is supposed to feel; the complete contradiction to the nightmarish dreams in the empty darkness of night.

.x.x.x.x.

Vincent Valentine stormed through the dark hallways in the empty mansion that was his. The air surrounding him was musty and dank, the smell of an old home that had been lived in for hundreds of years then abandoned without warning. Inside of him, a tempest was raging.

/How could she have known I was there? It is simply incomprehensible, no one has ever been able to detect my presence before./

His spaced footsteps echoed quietly through the silence of the old mansion, it's still, quiet air seemingly acknowledging no one and nothing. His family had owned this old manor for many generations, and not more than a hundred years ago did the townspeople know the bloodline of it's possessors. In a tragic event, they willingly blamed the Valentine lineage and brought upon them death and destruction, a so-called "revenge".

Vincent flexed his anxious clawed fingers, remembering the anguish this town had brought upon his family so long ago. But it didn't matter any more- so he banished those thoughts for what seemed like the thousandth time. He'd been able to live in the shadows of darkness, concealing himself away from everything- even the secretive evening moon.

And now, this girl had seen him when nobody could before, where nobody had the _right_ to before. /I must seek her out, I must know why./

"Yes," He whispered aloud to himself, his intrinsic, musical voice echoing against the unseeing walls. "I shall find this raven beauty after the rising of the next moon."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	3. Touch of Death

[A/N part deux: Sweep sweep, dust dust.]

..x.X.x. Touch of Death .x.X.x..

To Tifa's great reluctance, Cloud had been called out on a job. He was a mercenary of sorts, a very highly recognized one who was known for his swift and efficient execution of every mission.

This particular job was far away in the town of Kalm. There was a young thief preying on the public,leaving behind a trail of very annoyed people with missing things- particularly rare and mastered materia.

After quickly dressing and equipping himself, Cloud adorned Tifa with a couple of goodbye kisses and hugs, promising to be back in a few days, at most a little more than a week. Getting there alone would take a couple of days by means of chocobo.

Cloud took eminent care of himself on his duties, so Tifa had no real reason to worry. Still, however, she didn't take too kindly to the thought of being alone for several days, especially with the sudden recurrence of her past affliction. Cloud had reassured her, nevertheless, that she would be fine. He remained a mere phone call away, so whenever she felt troubled he'd be there for comforting.

She leaned her pale shoulder against the sturdy, wooden doorframe as she watched the diminishing figure of Cloud disappear nimbly in the distance on his golden chocobo. She started to warm her mind up to all the ways she could keep her troubled mind distracted. Sparing one last glance, she entered the warmth of the house and began to hunt down her fighting clothes.

Tifa had arranged a training room in the basement of their large home. It was complete with punching bags and weights, full mirrors and other assortments for Cloud to practice his techniques with the infamous Buster sword.

Tuning in on her choice music, she spent the remaining daylight hours training and honing her natural combat skills. She left the door open, along with the spacious windows along the west wall so she could revel in the fading daylight. A cool breeze drifted in, caressing her moist skin and aching muscles.

When she felt she'd had enough, she changed into more presentable clothes and walked across the street to her well famed bar. When Cloud was away on a job, she could mainly be found here. She loved this place, delighting in the many memories it brought to her. She had built it from scratch, turning it from a shambled old house into a comfortable place for people to have a drink, play a game of poker or pool and just relax after a long day of work.

She brought out her private set of keys and unlocked the front door, taking care to lock it again behind her. She had been wanting to refurnish this place for a long while now and could find no better time than now.

The air was filled with it's usual flowered scent, laced slightly with the sweetness of liquor and fresh foods in the pantry. It was a rather large place, with a spacious kitchen in it's own room behind the bar table, the counter with an extremely large selection of liquor of all varieties from around the globe, and many leather bar stools dotting the customer's side. Several large square tables were set to the left of the room for larger groups of people, and smaller round tables were to the right, each dressed with it's own deck of playing cards. Pool tables were aligned against the far right wall and were very popular with the kids, often stopping by on the humid midsummer days for a cool soda or ice cream.

With a flick of a switch behind the bar counter, Tifa turned on the assortment of electric lights hanging around on the walls, most of which were bright with neon fluorescence. Overall the place was fairly dim, save for the low hanging lights above the poker and pool tables.

She perched herself on one of the leather bar stools, looking around. She suddenly decided that she loved it perfectly enough as it was. A heavy sigh escaped her as her shoulders slumped in defeat. In an attempt to outwit her boredom, she flipped on one of the television sets hanging in the corner of the room, hovering just below the ceiling.

Flipping through a numerous, random channels and finding absolutely nothing of interest, she switched it back off and headed back for the door. There was nothing for her here- she wasn't normally open on this night anyway, so she gave in and decided that home was probably the best place to be.

.x.x.x.x.

The darkening shadows of the approaching night gave Vincent the advantage as he silently crept out the large oak door that sealed the front entrance to the mansion. His pupils instantly adjusted to the dim light as naturally as a hunters'.

His footsteps were soundless as he made his way towards the town. No one could be seen on the cobble stoned streets, leaving a devious smile on Vincent's lips. /All the more better./

One by one the lights flickered on in the tiny windows of the tall, simply structured houses; and where there was light, there was shadow. His blood stained eyes darted around the vast, empty streets. Even if one were to venture out doors, they would be unable to see him through his blackened, shadowed cloak.

His heart skipped a beat as he picked up the nearby scent of a young human girl and his eyes immediately followed the direction of it's source. He watched with meticulous care as a young girl with raven hair and pale skin, reflecting the beautiful moonlight, walked briskly across the street, not too far in front of him. His every move was ceased as he studied the young woman.

Without even a second thought he made his move. Vincent let escape from his throat a low, menacing laugh. His hungry senses drove him silently forward to the beautiful young woman, his fingers twitching with the anticipation.

"It has been far too long since I have last tasted the warmth of human flesh."

.x.x.x.x.

/I've got to call up Marlene tomorrow and see if she'll be able to come early to help with the bar. It won't hurt to open a little early../ Tifa mentally checked the things she wished to accomplish the next day. She intended to keep as busy as possible, which was probably the most healthy approach for her mind's sake. /If I'm tired enough from a long day, I'll sleep deep and peacefully, right? No nightmarish dreams to hau-/

Her thoughts were abruptly halted as she felt a cruel chill surround her body. She paused in her tracks and looked around warily, her gaze ending up at the sky.

/Was it really supposed to be _that _cold tonight?/ She brought her arms around herself in an attempt to ward away the chill. She was about to step forward when a fleeting shadow caught the corner of her eye and sent her heart leaping- instinctively she brought her fists up into a defensive stance.

Her eyes darted in all directions in the darkening night air around her, searching for whatever it could have been and ready to pommel the hell out of the next thing that moved. Her jaw tightened as she could see nothing that appeared dangerous, not even a _nothing_.

/Just a shadow, Lockhart. Don't let yourself get so worked up./ She sighed and put her fists down, thinking that those frightening dreams really were taking a mental toll on her thoughts and senses.

She brushed herself off as if to brush the thought away when the feeling of strong, masculine hands gripped both of her arms. One of them was _incredibly_ cold, as if made of heartless metal. Tifa immediately began to struggle, panic rising in her body uncontrollably, throwing her trained counters and throws out of balance, out of mind. She couldn't free herself; for as strong as she was the hold on her body was far greater. Impossibly strong.

She felt a presence manifest itself behind her, as if out of the darkness itself. She tried to scream or call for help, but her voice was stuck in the depths of her throat, as if the strange being behind her had clenched her very soul and held it firmly to the ground.

She felt her hair being pushed gently to the side, exposing her neck to the harsh chill that had surrounded her writhing body. A warm breath of air slowly released against her skin, as if the being was purposely taunting her of her vulnerability by breathing warm, moist air down her neck, letting her realize and _feel _how close he was. As soon as the moist sigh brushed against her skin, her arms slowly began to lose feeling, as though her body were being sedated into some kind of ancient spell.

Her struggle had come to an end as she could move no more. Her breathing ended in short, panicked gasps and her heart thudded with a malevolent ferocity in her chest. /I'm trapped.. No.. Why can't I move?!/ She slowly turned her head with all her strength, to at least look at her dominator for one last pleading glance of life.

Her eyes met blood. The deepest color of crimson, far deeper then hers; and what's more, they held the key to her deepest fears. As soon as their gazes met, the melancholic echo sounded in her ears, as if pouring from her assassin's soul into hers. It reflected everything she remembered in her dreams; the deep emptiness, the dark, haunting pleas for death, the longing cries for a lost loved one- all the ingredients of a tortured man's soul. They had also portrayed stark defiance and overwhelming dominance.

And lastly; surprise.

Looking past those searing, disconsolate eyes, she could barely make out the features of a young man with raven locks glistening in the moonlight, falling around his smooth, pale face. His lips were thin and gleamed with something resembling ivory, but before she could look further, he disappeared, back into the shadows from where he came.

All mobility of her limbs came rushing back and she could feel the true warmth of the night replace the menacing chill that had just engulfed her. She fell to her knees on the ground and remained unmoving, recovering from her sudden state of shock. Her eyes were still unblinkingly trained on the now unoccupied space where her possessor had stood. So many thoughts flitted through her racing mind, yet soon she realized that it was probably safer to dwell on it inside the comfort of her own.

Wether she could call it safe in there she didn't know; but she was going to take her chances and find out.

.x.x.x.x.

Once inside, Tifa scrambled at the chain lock and dead bolt, her breathing quick and terse. She turned around and looked around the front foyer, reaching a wary hand to the side to flip on the lights. Whatever she had encountered out there, it seemed to be a part of the shadows, so for now, she intended to keep her house brightly illuminated.

She tenderly stepped through each room, inspecting every corner for anything that looked even the slightest bit malicious. When she conclusively felt satisfied that the house was safe, she went to her bedroom and donned her most formidable of weapons, the Premium Hearts.

She grabbed her mastered Materia of choice; she knew from experience that most invisible and highly agile enemies were weak to magic spells. While she equipped herself, she thought back on what had happened merely moments before.

/What _was_ that thing? It was... he was _human_.. Yet how could he manipulate the shadows as he had?/ A sharp chill dripped down her spine. /And when he breathed on me.. It was like I'd lost total control of myself. I couldn't move the slightest inch... and his _eyes_.. I swear they were staring into my soul. Is.. Is he the one haunting my dreams?/

Tifa paused at this new speculation. The voice she had heard from the sallow stranger was the same as in her dreams, from her childhood and from last night. Her eyebrows knit together in concentration as she stumbled backwards onto her bed. Her eyes focused on nothing in particular as her memory played again and again in her mind, like a movie stuck on 'rewind'.

/His eyes glittered with surprise when I looked back at him.. Was it because I could move my head to see him? Or because I actually saw his face?/ She mentally grabbed on to that bit of evidence, releasing a drowsy yawn. /Whenever he realized I was looking at him, he fled away.. I obviously wasn't meant to see him.. Maybe that tiny little move on my part saved my life./

Tifa filled her lungs with the cool, freshly scented air of the room and released it slowly, laying back against the soft blankets covering the king-sized bed. Her mind continued to wonder over the strangers face, and suddenly realized how strikingly handsome he was. She blushed to herself girlishly, brushing that aside.

/I wonder what he was doing, anyway.. And where he came from.. And why.../ As her mind wandered on, her eyelids began to slowly droop as her body, already completely fatigued, began to slowly drift into the calm, peaceful state of a deep slumber.

.x.x.x.x.

His blazing crimson eyes peered in through the brightly lit window, gazing in at the sleeping woman he had encountered earlier. His body still lingered in her fragile scent, still hungry and yearning to taste her skin, to luxuriate in the heavenly warmth her body possessed, that of which he craved. His tongue lightly grazed over his pearl fangs, wishing that the blood of her beautiful figure were draining down his greedy throat, feeding the hunger he had been harboring for many, many years.

/Far, far too long./ He thought to himself selfishly. He glowered, his lips tightening into a thin frown as he stared at the girl, tossing over in her restful sleep. /I would have been reveling in her flesh at this moment, if not for../

His memory flickered back to her gorgeous wine colored eyes as she peered, seemingly for the last time of her ephemeral existence, over her shoulder..

/And she _saw_ me. She is the one I confronted that night in my trance. She shouldn't have seen me.. And now she has laid her eyes on me in the flesh./

His facial features softened, as if intrigued by the girl's power to see through his mask. Being of the old lineage, he had, as his family did when they were still alive hundreds of years past, the ability to cloak himself in the darkness of the shadows. With this gift, they were able to walk in the light of day.

Vincent blinked and looked away from the second story window, perched high above the ground from the sill. He toyed with many different ideas, deciding that it's been a while since one of his kind has even seen the light of day- or the shimmering light of the moon, for that matter.

/I would easily intrude and take her right there,/ He thought to himself with a sly, deviant smile. /Except for these diminutive rules tied to my blood. No entry without invitation.. Gee, almost takes the fun away./

He pushed himself away from the window, not even thinking twice that he hadn't seen his reflection on the smooth surface of the glass. Quite simply he had no reflection. He landed gracefully on his feet, the only sign that he had even jumped were the tiny dust clouds that were stirred silently to life as his armored feet made contact with the ground. He let the shadowed cloak drop away from his body with a whispered word of the old tongue.

For now, he would allow the moonlight to caress his darkly clothed figure as he made his way back to the mansion, _his_ mansion, with his cape fluttering quietly behind his fluid, elegant steps.

He would just have to make her come to him, then, wouldn't he?

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	4. More Than Just a Reoccurrence

..x.X.x. More Than Just a Reoccurrence .x.X.x..

"Zack! It's so good to see you again!" Tifa exclaimed joyfully as she recognized the crown pf spiky black hair that walked unexpectedly through the front door.

Zack leaned across the bar counter and hugged his old friend tightly. "You too, Tif! Sorry I don't come by much anymore, ya know, being one of SOLDIER's finest now." He flashed his bright, typical smile.

She pushed a strand of chocolate hair behind her ears as she grinned back at the well accomplished man. "And what can I get for my old friend?"

Zack shook his head, feigning shock. "Who you calling OLD? But no, wish I could stay and catch up but I've gotta be getting back soon. I'm on a short break right now, and thought I'd come by to see how you were doing." His eyes twinkled with the child like essence that never seemed to absent, no matter how many years had passed. "By the way, how's 'ol Spike takin' care of you?"

Tifa frowned. "Oh, just horrible. He makes it a habit of throwing me out of bed every morning, eats everything in the pantry... And he snores. Horribly."

Zack laughed, his voice crisp and cool, light and happy. "That would explain the rings under your eyes. You look like you haven't slept in days." His smile grew as he winked one sparkling eye in her direction.

Just then, a soft, young voice called from the doorway of the bar. "Zack?? Oh, there you are. We better start leaving if you want to make it to the auditory in time." The petite woman entered the doorway with long chestnut hair and large emerald eyes. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.

Zack smiled back to her and frantically beckoned her inwards, "They're not going anywhere, I promise. C'mere, I want you to meet someone"

"She's so pretty Zack! No WAY she's yours." She playfully nudged him in the side, giving him a crimson wink.

He pouted. "That's Aeris, my _girlfriend_. We met in Midgar, believe it or not. I certainly didn't expect to meet someone like her in such a dreary place.. Timing is everything I guess, and I couldn't be happier. Aeris, meet Tifa. We grew up together, and I guess you could kinda say she taught me how to kick so much ass."

Aeris glowed. "Nice to meet you! I always imagined his ego was over-inflated because he always got beat up by a girl." She wiggled her tongue at Zack, and he jutted his tongue out back at her while defiantly crossing his arms.

Zack then leaned forward to give his companion one last tight embrace. "You take care of yourself, Tif. Tell Cloud I said behave." He ended with a smile, and turned around to join the side of the lovely Aeris.

Tifa's gaze followed them out the door, and she sat herself once more on the leather stool in front of the bar counter. She felt glad that she opened early; she might have missed this moment. Visitors didn't often travel to Nibelheim, and to this day she still didn't quite understand why. Maybe it was the ominous mountains or often overcast weather. Or maybe this place was just that _boring_. She shrugged to herself, dismissing the idea.

/I've lived here all my life and never noticed anything wrong with this place../

Whenever travelers did happen by, it was impossible to depart without first having a visit to Tifa's 7th Heaven. She smiled to herself as her gaze wondered over the dozen people that were already filling the tables, happily conversing amongst themselves and sharing their fill of her personally designed recipes.

A yawn escaped her without warning, followed by a lightheaded dizziness. Her sleep from the night before had been deep yet not fulfilling. She had woken up in the early hours of the morning, finding it impossible to fall back to sleep with the ever invading thoughts of the dark stranger that had captivated her only hours ago. She lay her head down on the counter, smelling the worn in wax of it's clean wooden surface, allowing her eyes a moments rest.

A few minutes later, the sound of a tongue clicking in mock scolding could be heard behind her. Her eyes fluttered open and she wearily lifted her head to see who was berating her.

"Sleepin' on the job, I see? How 'bout the usual and then you can get back to your little cat nap." Cid Highwind grinned under his gruff, pilot's voice. He was a regular here; Every weekend he made it a custom to have a drink of Tifa's finest. It was a bit of a trip for him but he didn't mind- besides, he had to have _somebody_ to grudge to.

Tifa yawned and stood to her feet. "Hey Cid. Sorry, I've been losing a bit of sleep this past week." She made her way to the other side of the bar as Cid took a seat; his usual stool right in the center. Tifa swiftly mixed him his favorite bourbon beverage (Which she lovingly called "The Captain") and slid the glass effortlessly in his direction. He accepted with a smile and a hardy swallow- how he drank so early in the morning she would never understand.

He smiled, reading her expression like an open book and set the glass down. "It's like mornin' coffee, for you."

Tifa leaned forward on the counter, her limbs feeling heavier than usual. She stuck out her tongue in an expression of disgust.

Cid let out a low, hardy laugh, then examined Tifa from head to toe. "What's buggin' _you_?"

She merely closed her eyes and shook her head silently. "Nothing, really. Just tired."

"Bullshit. I've know ya long enough to know better, Tif." He leaned forward with an uncharacteristically gentle smile of concern on his face. "C'mon. We've been friends for years, now. Let the 'ol captain hear ya out. God knows you've heard my bellowin' plenty."

Tifa couldn't help but chuckle; what he had just said was possibly the understatement of the year. She brought herself back around the large counter to have a seat next to Cid. This wouldn't hurt; a break was sorely desired.

"Well, I guess you could just say I've been having some strange nightmares here lately. They're pretty.. Disturbing."

Cid nodded, his lips a grim line as he pondered her answer over. Then the corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided grin. "You're not lettin' those fairy tales get to ya now, are ya?"

She couldn't help but let out a quick laugh. "What? What fairy tales?"

Cid had picked up his bourbon, but then set it back down again just as quickly. He peered at her incredulously, his crystal blue eyes surveying her features for what he thought was sarcasm. "You mean to tell me all this time you've been livin' in this damned hell hole of a town and don't know 'bout the history of it?"

"Are you kidding? I know everything about this town." Tifa leaned forward towards Cid intently, tugged by curiosity. "But what is it about? You know, since you know so much."

"I'm so glad you came to realize that." Cid smiled contentedly, which turned instantly to a wince when Tifa punched him in the arm to get on with it.

"It happened a long time ago," He started with a huff. "When this town was first built. Some weird ass family lived in that mansion, one that went waayy back in history." He took a quick sip of his staling bourbon. "Apparently they did somethin' pretty damn bad. Some of the town folk here went missin', and that family was blamed. The town led a revolt against them an killed the whole lot o' them. Damn bastards."

"Well yeah, Cid, everyone knows about that. But if that really happened then how is it a fairy tale?" Tifa questioned with a smirk.

"The fairy tale part is that the murdered family left some kinda curse on this town." He guffawed briefly, then stopped when he saw the thoughtfulness displayed in Tifa's burning crimson eyes.

"That's probably why not many people come here these days." Cid continued, with a smile. "Which is too bad for them, missin' out on your fine cookin' and drinks."

Tifa smiled up at him, looking somewhat better. "Thanks, Cid."

"No problem, darlin'. Can I get another one'a these?" He batted his eyelids innocently.

Tifa grabbed his emptied glass, rolling her eyes with a look of playful disgust on her lovely features.

"Like I said! It's just like coffee." He protested with a smile.

.x.x.x.x.

Halfway through the morning, Marlene finally made it to help Tifa with the bar. She was a bright young girl (and only younger than Tifa by a few years) with dazzling eyes, sparkling with kindred intelligence and wit. Despite her youth, she was a prodigal help for Tifa; she helped serve the customers and loved to cook when she got the chance, and occasionally put up a challenge to a game of pool to any poor, unsuspecting customer. She was simply amazing at the sport; she hardly ever lost.

Marlene's pay was fair, yet Tifa had the feeling that she was there for a higher reason. She loved the attention. Surrounding herself with the company of people thrilled her spirits, and Tifa suspected that one day it would make something of her.

As the sun dragged it's ever unchanging path through the clear sky, the minutes seemed to drag along with it; ceaselessly, as if never to come to an end.

The day was very cool, with a chilling breeze whispering lazily in through the partly cracked windows. Not too many people had come in today to her dismay. There was a trio of younger men at one of the poker tables dueling over a dozen bottles of cheap beer. At one point they offered her to join, but she declined politely.

Even they had noticed how unusual that was of her; she hardly ever backed down from a challenge. Today she just couldn't keep focused, her mind kept weaving in and out of a conscious state, struggling to keep awake, if not sane.

She kept drifting back to what Cid had noted to be the 'curse' on her hometown. She was amused to think that her eerie dreams could even possibly be inspired by such a preposterous old tale. Yet her nightmares had to come from somewhere, right? Did she really dare to think that one of the long-since dead members of this murdered family could be haunting her in her restless dreams?

Tifa's darkly concentrated eyes suddenly came to focus on the hand waving frantically inches before her face. She lifted her tired gaze up into the large brown eyes of Marlene.

"Tifa? You ok?" She asked, tilting her head with concern.

Tifa forced a tired smile in return. "Yeah, sorry. Just thinking... that's all."

Marlene's features still knotted with concern, and she leaned forward across the bar table pressing a hand to Tifa's forehead. "Hmm.. You feel a little warm. Tifa, I've been meaning to say this all day. You don't look so good. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off, ya know?"

Tifa smiled warmly. "Naw, I think I can manage. I've just been.. Having some trouble sleeping." She considered asking the her young friend about what she knew of this town's "curse", and decided it wouldn't hurt.

"Have you.. By any chance, had any strange dreams at all?" Tifa asked casually, not wishing to stir any unnecessary consternation.

"When?" Marlene brought her hand to her chin, resting her elbow comfortably on the wooden bar table.

"Ever."

"Hmm.. Sometimes, I do. But not very often. Why?"

"What are they like? I mean, have you ever had the same one more than once?" Tifa felt she was pressing beyond what she had meant to; this certainly was not an ordinary conversation, especially coming from her.

"Well.." Marlene's eyes wandered around the room in thought. "Once I dreamt that my cat turned into a zombie and tried to eat my socks.. And another time that the Nibel mountains were full of these weird, deformed people." She shivered noticeably. "Stupid things like that. But no, I've never had the same dream twice." She paused, and then with a sideways glance repeated her earlier question. "Why?"

Tifa shrugged. "I've been having some troubling dreams, and they seem to keep coming back to me." With a deep sigh, she turned to grab the washcloth in the sink with the consideration of wiping down the tables for the fortieth time that day. Then, another question came to mind. Dropping the cloth, she turned to look at Marlene once more, who was heedlessly drawing designs on the counter with her fingers.

"Say, has anyone been in the Nibelheim manor recently?"

Marlene looked up from her invisible doodle. "What? You mean _that_ place? No.. Not that I know of."

Tifa sullenly dropped her defeated gaze, and after a moment's pause turned back to the waiting washcloth.

"Tifa.." Marlene interjected before she could move any further. "Is something wrong? I mean, with the strange questions and all. You alright?"

The older girl let out a deep, uneasy breath. "Yeah, I think so. It's silly, I just haven't been able to sleep too well lately."

"Does Cloud know?" Marlene propped her chin on her hand again.

"Yeah." Tifa let out a deep, languishing breath. "But he got called out on the job and won't be back for a while." Her gaze was full of longing.

Marlene smiled and slid off of the stool, making her way around the bar table and tenderly took a hold of Tifa's arm. She gently pulled her around and towards the door.

"I'll tell ya what, Tif. You go home and get some rest. You need it, badly." She opened the front door, beckoning Tifa toward it's anticipating portal. "Besides, this place is pretty much dead." A smile etched on her pink lips.

Tifa couldn't help but submit. "Ok. If you insist, Leeny." She smiled at the younger girl, reaching a hand out to ruffled her hair. Marlene squirmed away, stifling a giggle.

"Alright, alright, go already! And call me if you need some company, ok? You know I'm here for you." With a last giggle, she waved at Tifa who slipped wearily out the door.

"Thanks, will do. Don't let the boys hit on you too much." Tifa winked, and made her way towards her home, feeling the diminishing rays of the sun caress her skin for the first time that day.

While reaching for her key, Tifa paused a moment to spare a glance at the distant mansion, which always seemed to be shrouded in it's own darkness. She frowned, wondering if anyone would mind if she paid the old place a visit.

She had unconsciously reached forward to unlock the door, only to find that it was already open. Her gaze immediately darted to the entrance. /I must not of locked it../

She tenderly pushed the door open, inspecting the front foyer for anything suspicious. Just as she stepped in, a familiar ring sounded, echoing through the house. Tifa's heart jumped, and she quickly dashed in.

Sprinting up the stairs, skipping the steps in bounding leaps, she rushed into her room and grabbed the ringing PHS, pressing the receive button.

"Hello?" Her breath was laden from her quick entrance.

"Tifa? Are you ok?"

"Cloud! Yeah, I'm alright.. I just walked into the house when I heard the phone ringing.."

Cloud sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. How have you been?"

Tifa collapsed back onto her large bed, feeling the comforting warmth immediately absorb into her skin. "I'm doing alright. I can actually sleep comfortably now that you're not hogging all the blankets." She giggled wickedly.

"I wish I could say the same. Tracking this thief down is by far the most frustrating job yet. What I do know is that she's from Wutai. Someone called her Yuffie, but whoever she is, she's an obnoxious little demon with a weakness for shiny things." Cloud sighed dramatically.

Tifa remembered her encounter last night, and was just about to say something about it when Cloud continued."This probably means I'll be gone a little longer than expected."

Tifa bit her lip, disappointment consuming her. "Cloud? I, um.."

"Yeah?" He was about to think of something witty to respond with, but judging Tifa's tone of voice he decided against it.

"Last night, something.. Someone attacked me."

"What?!" Worry and outrage attacked Cloud at once, his mind instantly reeling on the many different things that might have happened. "When? Are you hurt? Is everything alright? Who was it?"

Tifa wished that he could see her soft smile, the one she always used to melt away his worries. She would just have to settle for words.

"I'm ok, nothing _really_ bad happened. I was walking home from my bar last night when some strange man grabbed a hold of me." She could here Cloud growl in rage at the sound of that, so she quickly pressed on to soothe his apprehension. "He didn't seem normal, and it almost felt like he was going to bite me or something. He was covered in some kind of shadow.. But when I turned around to look at him, he let go and just.. kind of disappeared. I haven't seen or heard him since." Hearing her own words reflect on what had happened for the first time, she realized just how silly it all sounded.

Cloud's mind was racing, yet he immediately made the choice to drop his duties. "Do you want me to come home? I can start heading back right away, someone else can take over this job."

"No Cloud, I don't want you to just quit right in the middle of a job. I'm alright, honestly. I've been very careful to watch my back, and I keep my equipment close at all times. I'm prepared for anything."

He didn't sound so certain, his voice was timid as he replied, "Are you sure?" Of course he understood that Tifa was capable of taking care of herself; Her fighting skills were beyond exceptional. He couldn't help but want to be there though, for those rare "just in case" situations.

"Yes. I'm very sure. Of course I'd love for you to come home, I miss you terribly. But those people need your help right now. Better to get the job done right the first time, so you don't have to return again, right?"

Cloud couldn't help but smile. "Of course you're right. I believe in you, Tifa. But I still can't ask enough for you to be careful. I'll try to finish this up quickly so I can return home to you soon. Can't let you have the comfort of all those blankets to yourself for too long, right?"

Tifa laughed, "Yeah, I guess not. You might find _me_ to be the one stealing them from _you_ before long, wouldn't you?"

"Exactly." Something in the distance distracted him and he let out a burdened sigh. "Gotta go. I think our little demon thief has made her debut- hopefully her final one."

She laughed quietly and wished him luck on the chase, and after a short moment of loving goodbyes, the two reluctantly let go.

Tifa set the PHS back onto it's spot on the night stand and let her body relax in the warm comfort of their bed. Staring at the ceiling, she let her mind wander on all the memories of the many nights she and Cloud had spent there.

It wasn't long at all until her thoughts slipped into the dark stillness of sleep. The dreams were fairly quiet this time, yet she was not unconsciously alone. She was very aware that a pair of laden crimson eyes were watching her, ever precariously.

What she couldn't decide was if she was merely remembering the eyes of her possessive stranger from the night before, or if his presence was really there- inside of her mind.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	5. Captivation

..x.X.x. Captivation .x.X.x..

Those crimson eyes. The only thing she could make of them was that they were as rich as deep pools of blood. As much as she wanted to look away from them, she also craved to see more of their barren beauty. Within them was the darkness that was hidden in every man's soul, an eternity of empty vanity swept in the glorious shadows.

They stared, ever unblinking into her own. They intimidated her, inspired her, made her weak and strong. No light could be found in their depths; only the gravity of blood.

Around the eyes, a shadow slowly took form. It was just the same as the figure who had captured and captivated her that one night, not long ago in the dusky hours of the night.

Tifa strained to see more, begging with all her mind's power to _see_ this man who had captured her dreams for so many nights. She longed to hear his voice fill the screaming silence around her, longed to feel his hands, to at least know he was real and not just some ghost, some fleeting dream.

But the image didn't give in, and it didn't show her more.

She felt so completely alone, the emanating silence filling the void of her dream all too painfully. Desperately, she reached out her hand in the desperate hopes that she'd at least brush his skin, forcing him to manifest himself before her weary eyes.

Yet as her arm stretched forward it seemed bitterly slow, as if all her limbs were plastered with thick and quickly drying adhesive. She watched as her hand inched forward, and struggled to scream as she tried to force her hand forward faster before her shadowed stalker left her unsatisfied once more.

A movement had caught her vision, and her eyes flickered back to the form she was so despairingly reaching for. He was reaching back for her, a dark ebony shadow extending toward her aching fingers in the shape of a strong human hand, like the ones that had so menacingly held her captive.

As his touch became close, closer, oh _so_ close to hers, she felt an immeasurably cold sensation creep into her fingers. The closer his hand became, the more the chill crept up her arm. She resisted at first, struggling to keep the warmth of life in her skin, in her soul.

But she realized how close she was, how incredibly near to finally unmasking her predator, and accepted the cold of death.

A hairs width before their fingers made contact, he disappeared; and she awoke.

Her eyes darted open, and as she struggled to adjust to the darkness of dawn, she came to realize that the crimson eyes were still there, hovering merely inches away from her moist face.

Tifa clenched at the blankets, and screamed.

.x.x.x.x.


	6. Dangerous Enticement

[A/N part deux: Ah, the usual. Touch up here, clean up there.. I'm very proud of that last chapter. I'm almost thinking I should make _that_ one my prologue instead.. but ah, we'll see.]

..x.X.x. Dangerous Enticement .x.X.x..

One might think it strange to see the pale yellow light from the window of one's house at such a late hour of the night. But who was to say? The streets were barren and cold, utterly bereft of even the smallest signs of life- A typical night in this old town.

Yet if anyone _were_ to see this lighted window; would they not be enticed to observe it further? Like a fluttering butterfly to a wicked flame, perhaps unaware of the dangers that the delicate wings would catch aflame themselves?

.x.x.x.x.

Tifa was wide awake in her room, as she had been for countless hours after awakening from her dream.

/Was it really a dream? Or maybe a vision?/ Tifa had thought, her mind evoking the memory of the well acquainted eyes that drifted above her as her dream abruptly ended.

/It was all so real, he was reaching out for me.. It _has_ to be the man that captured me that night../ Her arms were bathed in goose bumps when she woke up, as if her skin had been exposed to a bitter winter chill.

She let her mind graze on the memory of the strange man's features and felt her pulse rise. There was an aura about him; something dark and mysterious yet so dangerously attractive, and the more she envisioned him the more striking he became.

His eyes were abounding with fiery domination, as if the power of an ancient blood flowed through him that had been hidden from the world for centuries. The powerful line of his cheek, the chiseled sculpt of his chin, all enclosed within the pale silk that was his skin. The way his ebony locks fell so freely around his face gave him a look of liberation; sweet lone freedom that tranced those to look deeper.

His presence was so full of darkness, mourning, desolation and death; yet also falsely displayed stark hope and desperation, a longing that could never be fully fulfilled, as if he were forced to wander the rest of his eternal days in search of the completion he would never find.

His presence displayed everything; everything but a soul and a name.

Tifa breathed in the stale, cool air of the night, leaning back into the inviting comfort of her pillow. The stranger vexed her in so many ways; she felt she had known every inch of his empty being with only a single glance. She felt almost saddened at the way he looked at her; his eyes seemed to plead for her to end his pain, his lifelong existence.

Tifa sighed deeply again, mentally shoving herself from the alluring reverie. /You're pushing it way to far, Lockhart. He was just some strange man looking for a vulnerable young girl to get his kicks off of. Yes he was very attractive if not _incredibly_ strange, but that doesn't mean you should get all googly-eyed every time you think of him./

Of course that was what her mind wanted to believe, but it was right about one thing; she was immensely exhausted, and spending her precious sleeping time thinking about someone she would probably never cross paths with again was unmistakably worthless.

She tugged the heavy blankets around her shoulders and turned over, giving sleep another chance to settle in. Yet the moment her eyes closed, those dark crimson eyes appeared before her. What alarmed her most was this time a deep, melodic voice slowly whispered her name, a voice that was strangely familiar.

"Tifa."

Her eyes immediately shot open, all her logical explanations and quarries suddenly and despairingly shattered. Her heart began racing uncontrollably once again as she sat up and looked around the room for something she hoped wouldn't be there.

"Who are you? And just what the hell do you want?" She called out to the shadows, half expecting one to take shape and answer, but knowing it would never happen.

There was only the expected silence and she gave her sanity a second thought. This was absolutely maddening.

/Who the hell is this guy? Did he come from the manor..? Could it be even slightly possible that this damn curse is a reality? ...why did he know my name?/ Her thoughts were persistent, and she soon figured that she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

Her thoughts suddenly fluttered to Cloud. In all her wondering and worry she had forgotten about him. She knew instantly that if he were here he'd lovingly wrap his arms around her in an shield of sanctuary, whispering his words of comfort and peace.

/But Cloud's not here right now, Tifa. Come on, you're a big tough girl, you've handled much worse situations than this. What happened to you? Don't soften up just because you've got someone to look out for you now../

Tifa realized that ever since Cloud had moved in with her, her demeanor had softened more than she had wanted it to. Now that she had him to protect and watch her, to just _be_ with her, she was losing hold of what it means to be alone, unprotected with only you to watch your back.

She wearily swung her long slender legs over the side of the bed and to the cold floor. Pushing herself away from the lavish warmth of the blankets and into the gripping chill of the dark night air, she padded softly to the window. A yawn escaped her as she pushed the window open with ease and rested her elbows on the worn sill. She noticed that the wooden pane was cracking slightly, which wasn't there the night before. She assumed the cold of night was probably responsible and dismissed the thought.

Resting her chin on her hands, her crimson gaze turned up towards the dazzling stars, each twinkling with it's own unique iridescence. The moon hung low in the horizon in hardly a sliver, it's delicate perfect curve bathed in a soft red glow. She sighed at it's beauty as a small wind picked up, sending her hair to dance around her in a chocolate swirl.

She wondered where her Cloud was. He was without a doubt safe and unharmed, yet she still hoped for his long awaited arrival. She often came to the window when he was away, to wish to the heavens to bring him safely home to her.

The radiance of the stars were suddenly reflected by another dim beacon from somewhere nearby, and her curious glance dipped to the horizon to find the lantern that asked to be seen. Her eyes drifted to the direction of the Nibelheim Manor, lifting her head and blinking several times to see if her vision was somehow faltering.

There was a light on inside of the large, distant mansion. It was tiny, but shone brightly through the dark that always suffocated the area.

Tifa's heartbeat increased immediately as her mind pondered the many explanations for this. Over the many thoughts that overwhelmed her mind, one in particular was planting itself deep in her thoughts. Somewhere inside, the house itself seemed to be reaching for her, beckoning her to take a closer look, daring her to challenge the reality of it's existence.

Answers begged to be discovered, a past longed to be revealed. And a man of the night was awaiting her company.

Her mind was already set. Maybe, just _maybe_ she would come face to face with whatever or whoever it was that ceaselessly haunted her day and night.

And perhaps she would finally put an end to it, once and for all.

.x.x.x.x.

Tifa pulled her lengthy grey coat around her shivering body as the chilly air seeped into her skin. It was unusually cold on this particular evening, it was as plain as the soft white puffs that she exhaled with each frigid breath.

But still she pressed forward through the discomforting shadows of the empty, cobblestone streets. The closer she grew to the mansion, the more her heartbeat escalated. She felt fear and intimidation; but she refused to allow her feet to carry her anywhere but forward.

Determination was set in her eyes as she scrutinized every shadow that flinched as she passed. The experience from that night was still strong in her memory, and she promised both Cloud and herself that she would remain highly alert.

Her long silky hair swayed elegantly with each nimble step, her long coat fluttering at the back of her knees. /This is it. No more unanswered questions, no more nightmares. I can't just sit back and wait for the problem to solve itself; time to take matters into my own hands./

And those hands were very prepared; Her fingers flexed in the solace of her most formidable weapons, the Premium Hearts. A slight smile etched on her face. /_If_ there is anyone or anything there, I'll simply confront them. I don't want to fight, but the moment I feel threatened then _something _will be going down.. and it won't be me./

She smiled a little more and openly scoffed at herself. /That's right Lockhart, keep it confident. No one's here to protect you now, one mistake might get you killed. Just watch your back and keep it real. A big head won't get you anywhere but the grave./

The air around her seemed to thicken as a delicate mist danced in the chill of the darkness. Her eyes gazed up at the nearing form of the mansion, looming in all it's frightening glory. She hadn't been this close in years; As children they would dare each other to venture up the old doorstep and even inside the front door, but as soon as they could see the pitch inside the windows, they'd run away screaming as children often did.

Tifa drew in a deep breath, feeling the icy air sting her lungs. The only thing she could hear was her heartbeat thrumming ceaselessly in her ears. The light from inside had vanished some time ago, which filled her with a sickening sense of dread- but she refused to back down anymore.

She passed slowly through the front gate, it's old hinges crying out horribly with a rusty scream. It put her nerves on the edge as she gazed around the large front lawn, overgrown with years of untended vegetation, giving the old house an even more abandoned feel.

She searched every possible angle, warily scouring for anything that appeared dangerous. She slowly stepped forward, pulling her coat even tighter around her body as if seeking protection from the fabric, but the feeling that crept into her very soul couldn't be deflected by even the strongest of armor.

It was him.

She knew it; the knowledge of even the thought of it filled every pore of her cold body. His presence radiated from the manor just as it had from every heart wrenching dream about him. It consumed her heart and mind, compelling her to enter the house, to roam it's barren halls and lay in the silken sheets of the cold, empty beds. It called to her, the very house was reaching out it's being and clenching onto her soul with an icy grip, begging her to enter..

And before she even realized it she was reaching for the old, long since rusted doorknob that adorned the massive oak door of an entrance. She gasped in utter, reluctant surprise. She didn't even recall walking this far, and now here she stood, about to enter the dark portal and into the lair of her hunter. At least she _thought_ it was his. Somewhere inside, unknown to her heart, she _hoped_ it was his.

Tifa closed her pale fingers around the cold iron doorknob and turned, ever so carefully, partly hoping it would be locked. Hoping there would be no chance of walking into the eerie, abdicated house. Hoping that she'd be able to turn and run as fast as her legs could take her to the warmth and comfort of her soft bed.

The weight of the large door slowly lurched forward, and the darkness poured out before Tifa. She took a timid step forward, feeling the old wood creak beneath the soles of her shoes. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the blackness of the front foyer, and forced another step under the heavy wooden door frame.

Instinctively, she reached out a hand and felt around for a switch of some kind, in hopes of kindling a lamp or _anything_ to brighten the place up; She had never in her life seen a darkness like this. Her fingers searched the wall, feeling the cracked paint and layers of dust and cobwebs. All gifts of passing time.

An object was found and Tifa quickly attempted to flip at the switch in it's place; but to her reluctance and expectations nothing happened. /Of course; why would there be electricity in a house that's been abandoned for decades, if not centuries?/ She immediately regretted not bringing a flashlight. She had been so consumed by the thought of just coming here that it didn't even don on her.

A ruffle of sound could be heard somewhere before her, and every part of her body ceased movement. Her heart roared in her chest as her eyes widened, trying desperately to see anything, but all was lost in the stark gloom. The adrenaline rushed through her body as all the fears of her nightmares flourished in her mind. All the confidence the had felt was now completely deteriorated, and all that was left was fear.

/Stupid, stupid, stupid! Should have waited.. Shouldn't have come alone.. Should have brought a flashlight, my PHS.. A friend.. Should have waited! I'll leave, come back tomorrow when there's light../

As soon as she turned to face the door, it slammed shut with a deafening boom. It sent a cold breeze in it's flowing wake, ruffling Tifa's hair and delivering chills along the entire surface of skin.

Tifa gasped out loud and rushed blindly for the door, searching desperately for the cold metal handle. When it finally filled her hands she yanked with all her strength, fear and desolation filled her mind as she silently screamed and pleaded and begged for the door to open.

After minutes of fruitless struggle, she finally turned and pressed her back to the door, searching around the empty air in front of her for any sign of movement or noise. Her breath ended in short, panicked gasps and her legs trembled from the cold.

/No no no no.. Can't be happening.. _isn't_ happening.. Wake up, please, God, wake up Tifa../

Useless. She could see and perceive nothing. The dark was beyond black, it was like a hole that wished to consume her, and she feared that it would if she didn't get out of here.

She forced herself to take several deep, long breaths to calm her elated heart. She forced herself to think, as Cloud had taught her in times of panic.

She clenched her hands into deadly fists, readying herself to swing at anything that bordered too close. She focused, reaching out all her senses. If sight was useless, then she would utilize everything else she possessed instead.

The air was dank and musty, smelling of old rotting furniture and peeling paint. The floor beneath her feet was solid, yet from what she remembered upon entering it squeaked in certain areas. There was no breeze and there was no light; the windows were either boarded up or concealed with the thick drapery.

Tifa inched very cautiously forward, feeling with her hands, feet and mind for anything that might be near. She paused quickly as she heard a ruffle of cloth, straining her ears to hear more.

There was a distant whisper; a very soft, melodic voice that was instantly familiar to her. Another word was whispered and Tifa turned her head to the direction that she thought it had come from. It was very difficult to tell, the room seemed large and echoes made the directions misleading.

A sharp sensation overtook her eyes as a lamp ignited into a dim glow. She shielded her face as her eyes painfully adjusted to a second light. And then another, and another until the whole room was washed in a soft glow.

She gasped at the splendor that surrounded her; now that she could actually see her surroundings the place was absolutely magnificent. The old furniture and crimson velvet furnishings were extravagant beyond all means, obviously once owned by a very wealthy family.

Tifa didn't bask in the splendor of the room or of the sudden warmth that washed her skin for too long. She remembered just where she was, what she was doing, and what she might have to face.

She pulled up her fists defensively with don't-mess-with-me look on her face, searching the room with her large, wine colored eyes for the one responsible for the sudden change. All that met her, though, was silence; still, placid silence and shadows.

One of those shadow in particular caught her attention. It hovered not far from her in front of what looked like a great marble staircase that loomed in the back of the cathedral ceilinged room.

She furrowed her brows and faced it completely, changing her stance to one of attack.

As much as she tried to prepare herself, it still shocked her entirely to see a form take place from the shadow. It wavered ever so slightly at first as just a pair of blood red eyes peered menacingly at her.

Immediately her mind collapsed and her fists slowly dropped as she watched the shadowy cloak disappear, exposing the elegant figure beneath.

He was very tall and slender, wearing an elegant black silk shirt that buttoned up over his well defined chest under an open, heavy crimson coat with a collar that rose up high to his jawline. Long legs stretched down under the knee length coat to meet a pair of heavy leather boots and fitting black trousers. An assortment of black leather belts clung gracefully to his hips, which matched the the ones on his boots and his coat. The only ones that were unbuckled however were the ones on his collar, which she assumed was so that she could see all of his face. His raven locks fell down around his ears and his gorgeous eyes, which slitted in her direction in a cold, dangerous gaze.

As her eyes openly explored his body she came upon a strange glint of light against his hand. When further investigating that it wasn't a gun or a knife, /Thank goodness.../ she came to realize that the hand itself was adorned in a cruel metal claw, hooked maliciously at the fingers. She absently touched her arm where she remembered feeling the cold grasp of metal on the night of her attack.

He took a single step forward, a sense of dominant power emanating from his being. Tifa's eyes flickered to his face, that beautifully handsome face that she had seen so many nights in her endless, tormenting thoughts. She was frozen, her body wouldn't dare move even the slightest centimeter, afraid that he would lunge at her with that ferocious metal claw.

His attractive lips parted slightly in astonishment as he drank in the image of the woman standing before him. /So, she has answered my call; She is here, within my home, within my very grasp.. And she looks just like.. Her../

She did indeed appear very much like the woman of his past. Her long legs, petite waist and supple breasts, smooth skin as pale as the moonlight, those gleaming intelligent eyes and long, silky hair. Vincent felt what was left of his abrogated heart soar at the sight of her; she was gorgeous.

Tifa met his dark gaze and immediately felt intimidated. Never had she met someone who could so easily make her feel so unnerved and submissive. His eyes were just as she remembered, dark and powerful, lustful and advantageous. It was more than she could bear, but it was futile to even try to take her eyes away.

He was so completely alluring and she was so very drawn to him.

"Tifa."

His voice sent shivers through her soul. It reverberated in her mind just as it had in her dreams. Helplessness was all she could feel, as if he had a complete hold on her.

Defenses were utterly worthless. With the slightest glance he could dismantle them.

And with ease, he did just that.

.x.x.x.x.


	7. Captured, Mind and Soul

[A/N part deux: So yeah, for those of you that've noticed I changed up Vincent's appearance a bit from the first story. Originally I was going for that cheesy, Victorian, stereotypical vampire look with the velvet coat and frilly neck thing. (think Interview With The Vampire. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Terrible for Vincent, right?) So I went back to his roots, but with a less ragged version of his Turks suit and crimson cape. I hope that's a bit more visually appealing. _;]

..x.X.x. Captured .x.X.x..

She couldn't move; wouldn't dare to even chance the thought of moving. The way he looked at her, his gaze shamelessly examining her body, his eyes full of anguished curiosity, longing, and _desire_.

He took another graceful step forward, hardly making any perceivable sound in the open, airy room. He was close to her, so close he could feel the divine heat emanating from her licentious body in wave upon wave that overbearingly consumed his senses.

Tifa stared at the stranger's face, watching as he advanced, his every move entrancing her to look deeper and harder. Her mind was screaming to run away and her muscles quivered in apprehension, begging to uproot from her hypnotized state and just get the hell _away_.

But she couldn't, no matter how she tried and begged and pleaded for her body to sway free, it wouldn't. She was fully enraptured in his spell and almost didn't want to break free as she stared into those imposing, blood red eyes. His every seductive breath touched her soul, stilling her pulsing heart.

All other thoughts were banished; time had simply ceased to exist and all the remained in this ethereal world was herself and this alluring, dangerously enchanting man. She finally gave in, giving up the impossible struggled and relaxed her every muscle. Whatever he was doing to her was just too overwhelming, and she accepted it.

He raised a pail hand and gently caressed Tifa's cheek, stroking it ever so softly. She gasped at the chill that grazed her skin yet she didn't flinch, didn't pull away. His eyes never left hers; searching the depths of her timid burgundy gaze, feeling the fear and anticipation that emanated from her fragile being.

He smiled to himself deviously.

"How is it, my delicate lady, that you can see through my shadows?"

His voice was soft and gentle, dancing through her ears like a whispered melody of dreams. She reluctantly trembled, her voice caught in her throat as she searched for the answer. She searched his eyes, those deep, melancholic eyes of sadness and guilt, feeling his domination over her.

His hand gently slid down her cheek, the tips of his fingers grazing the side of her neck and pushing away the strands of chocolate silk that was her hair, his eyes never leaving her own.

Tifa's pulse immediately began to rise as realization slowly crept into her mind. Her eyes flickered away from his to his searching hand, and at that same moment feeling returned to her body. His spell was broken. She remembered where she was, what had happened, and she remembered how to move.

She quickly pulled away, taking a step back from the stranger. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she flexed her fingers, preparing for whatever was to come.

The man's dark eyes flickered with anticipation, his lips curving into a menacing frown. He held his ground, unmoving and angered by her sudden division.

"What do you want? Why do you keep following me?" Tifa questioned aggressively. She no longer felt fear now that her enemy was actually in sight.

"If I may remind you, you are the one who has trespassed into _my_ home." He said smoothly, his voice deep and enticing, yet lacking emotion.

She stammered at the statement and a slight blush graced her pale cheeks, but she quickly composed. "The Nibelheim manor belongs to no one. It's been empty for years."

She jumped slightly at the sudden, unexpected laugh that escaped the man in front of her, his eyes dancing with malice. "So that's what they call it now?" he turned his back to her coldly. Resentment was seeded in his voice, giving her heart a shutter.

He no longer concealed his tone; he spoke louder now with a strong, deep voice that was rich and pleasant, yet still strangely emotionless.

"I am Vincent Valentine, the single remaining member of my family's bloodline. You're currently standing in the _Valentine_ Manor, my home, and the only lingering possession of my family's since their unmerciful slaughter at the beginning of this century." He paused, his claw flexing acrimoniously in the enraged thoughts of his bitterness.

Tifa was at a loss for words, only finding the ability to utter, "So it's true, then."

The stranger- Vincent, turned sharply again. He scoffed openly, glaring at the girl in front of him. "What else do they _presume_ about the history of this town?" Vincent asked, piercing the young woman with his fierce gaze, his voice bordering that of demand.

Again Tifa stammered at the sudden inquiry. "Don't you already know? It's basically a child's fairytale to the people-"

She abruptly ended the sentence as Vincent's figure stepped lithely towards her, and within an uneasy breath he was upon her. She could feel his body so completely close to hers, his breath was soft on her skin and his dark eyes deep and penetrating. She made no move to defend herself, for her limbs had simply lost capability.

This time, though, it wasn't because of his deeply inviting spell.

Vincent gently raised his clawed hand and placed it on her arm, causing her to shiver from the biting cold of it's metallic touch. His scrutinizing eyes explored her own, as if desperately looking for a veiled answer, one that would unlock his soul from the darkness he had committed his existence to.

Tifa stared back, her traitorous body allowing her no movement, forcing her to stare back into those dark, blood flecked eyes. Helplessness took over her body again. His presence dominated her in such an indescribable way, almost making her feel as if he possessed her, as if she simply belonged to him like a toy belonged to child.

She tried to remain serene while anticipating his every move, feeling his intense gaze probe her. She began to feel an uneasy awareness creep into her mind as she watched Vincent's gaze, his mouth set a line of concentration between the open lapels of his coat collar. Familiar emotions began to invade her head, of all the deprivation she had felt in her dreams about him.

She closed her eyes and looked away painfully, pushing the barren and desolate thoughts away.

"No.." She whispered softly. "Please, no more-"

She was cut off once more by the touch of Vincent's fingers on her chin. He tenderly lifted her delicate face to his, and her eyes flitted open to glance into the tormented eyes of her hunter.

Vincent saw the deepest pain and sorrow in her crimson eyes; sorrow for _him_. Sorrow for the pain she knew he felt, for the loss he had so agonizingly endured.

He had successfully broken through her mental shield, and for what felt like the first time in his meandering existence Vincent felt a stab to his heart. This girl had suffered something terrible as well, just as he had. She felt the same agony. Her's was no where near the extent of his, yet it was there.

He left his fingers on her chin, still holding her gaze to his. He felt her trembling beneath his grasp and smiled inwardly. Ever so slowly, he moved his face closer to hers, and with every shortened breath he could feel her submission.

She was easily falling into his twisted web, and would just as easily become his. Why he felt he wanted her, why he _needed_ her, was still unknown to him. But she was here, in his grasp, and he was just a breath away from making Tifa Lockhart his.

Perhaps, even, for an eternity.

.x.x.x.x.

"Grrr, you'll pay for this, you spiky headed jerk!! Just you wait till I get outta here, you'll be sorry you ever messed with the great ninja Yuffie!"

Cloud sighed again in the greatest agitation. Ever since he had caught the spiteful little thief she hadn't the sense to be even the slightest bit more quiet.

He glanced back at her once more with a pleading gaze and might have even laughed if he wasn't so debilitated and utterly annoyed. The young girl was nearly hog tied and thrown lazily over the golden chocobo's back. She had put up a fierce struggle when finally captured, and repeatedly threatened to break free. He had avoided that easily, needless to say.

Too bad the Silence spell only worked against the ability to use magic.

"Let me go! Now! I swear on my ancestors you'll pay for this! Untie me and face me like a true warrior! You'll feel my wrath!!! You'll-"

"Burn with you're rage, I'll be obliterated into nothingness, for you are the great ninja Yuffie." Cloud finished for the young girl, who had obviously repeated these useless threats again and again.

And again.

"I quiver with fear." He finished flatly. "Now shut up. We're almost there."

"Ooh, you won't get away with this! I'm not going anywhere, not with you, you creep. I swear when I get loose.. I'll.. I'll..." She paused, attempting to use a different threat from the worthless ones before.

"You have to sleep sometime, you know!" Was all she could manage.

/Oh, what I'd give to be home right now./ Cloud thought wistfully as he lead the weary chocobo into the town of Kalm, to redeem the citizens of their former thief.

/I'm almost there, Tifa. Just hang on a little longer./

.x.x.x.x.

Tifa felt her heart soar to the heights of a freedom she had never known before. Her body trembled as she gazed at the nearing features of the man named Vincent. He held her chin, allowing her no escape as he slowly placed a kiss on her lips.

Her eyes instantly closed as the silk of his skin caressed her lips. He stepped forward slowly, pressing Tifa's back to the wall. She could not escape, he wouldn't allow it. She would be his; he would be sure of it. Just this kiss was not enough for him; he felt his entire body ignite with the very touch of her, and he shamelessly yearned for more. He hadn't felt the being of another person for decades, and now that he was finally known, _oh_ how he longed for more.

He began to delve a bit deeper into her mouth, searching for the heavenly warmth that was in her. She easily submitted herself, almost bidding him to take more..

..but a sudden awareness crept into her mind, a familiarity that prodded her memory. /Cloud../

Tifa's eyes shot open as she shook the submission out of her traitorous body. She pushed all her emotions aside and reached forward to push Vincent away, feeling as though her body was being drained at the parting of his lips.

Vincent, however, did not give in so easily. He pressed himself forward even more, and with a gentle, passionate force, took hold of Tifa once again and strongly kissed her deeper than before. She was surprised, he could feel it in the way her body tensed- but he continued to kiss her deeply, desperately wishing to drink more of her beautiful radiance.

Her body soon surrendered once more as she wrapped her arms around his muscular back, craving for him to fill the emptiness that seemed to take hold of her every time he was apart from her. She felt as if her soul were complete at the very touch of this man, who she still knew nothing of; But it felt so completely good, just this kiss was more than anything she had ever experienced. Not even with Cloud; he had never kissed her so deeply and full of passion before.

After a moment of heated bliss in the binding of their lips, Vincent finally and reluctantly pulled himself away. They both struggled for precious air as their hearts flourished concurrently. Their eyes were locked together, and only when Tifa felt a peculiar warmth trickle down her arm did she look away.

Her arm was bleeding where Vincent's claw had a hold of her. She gasped, not even realizing when it had happened. There was no pain, which was shocking because of how deep it was.

Vincent's eyes gleamed with a dark essence, as he calmly brought her arm to his lips. His eyes never left hers as he gently licked at the warm, inviting liquid.

Her heartbeat quickened as she saw the glimmer of ivory between his princely lips. He suckled ever so softly at her wound, and whispered a word so soft it barely graced her ears. When Tifa peered at her arm, she saw that it was already healing, a thin layer of tissue already formulating.

She looked curiously into Vincent's dark eyes. "How-"

"It's a gift from my family." He said simply. His eyes momentarily glimmered with what looked like amusement. Her blood embellished his hungry tongue, it's flavor driving his senses to madness. She was absolutely divine; how a mere human being could make him feel as he was now, he would never know.

Tifa felt every nerve in her body tingle. Just the feeling of Vincent standing so exquisitely close to her was enough to make her heart serenade. Yet at the same time her scared her. He made her feel so helpless, as if to force her into his arms for protection. His eyes pierced through her very soul, and his cold skin..

And the glimmer of white under his lips, the sharp piercing of teeth with his deep embracing kiss.. The resplendent attraction he had shown for her blood.. The curse of the town.. Cid's fairytale.. It all spun around in her head at once, along with the impassioned desired she seemed to feel for him, all at the same time..

And Cloud.

/What am I doing here? I shouldn't be doing this.. How can I know if this is even _real?_ He's so manipulative.. No matter what he makes me feel, I belong with Cloud.. I shouldn't be here like this../ Tifa's lips trembled as she thought, her mind clambering around in a daze.

Staring deeply into the blood filled eyes of Vincent Valentine, Tifa slowly began to edge away. She felt as if some invisible force was attaching her soul to him as she struggled to free herself from his grasp.

She saw confusion reflect in those darkened orbs, then what appeared to be hurt as he remained unmoving. She gently pulled her arm away from his tender grasp and backed slowly to the door that had swallowed her into this house in the first place.

She reached for the handle and slowly turned it, finding it submissive to her grasp. She watched Vincent's hands slowly clench into tight, cold fists.

All the pain, anguish and anger that Tifa had seen deep in his leaden, lifeless eyes filled the atmosphere, once again filling her mind with the memory of the grim nightmares that constantly plagued her. Only now did she understand that her nightmares were the harsh, bleak reality of the man she was attempting to leave behind.

But of course, he was the very last of his kind. A vampire. He had only known loneliness all of his life.

Tifa closed the front door, feeling the chill of the night air turn deathly cold. She felt entirely confused and empty, as if her heart and soul were torn apart from her body.

The only thing she didn't know was if she felt this way because Vincent had wanted her to, or if because it was what her heart felt truly inside.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	8. Forsaken

..x.X.x. Forsaken .x.X.x..

Tifa didn't even so much as attempt to sleep. She perched herself on the edge of her bed in the silent darkness of her bedroom, her mind running amok with the thoughts of this evening's events.

With thoughts of him.

Of Vincent Valentine, the sole remaining member of his kind. One who felt such a loneliness and desolation that it was merely impossible to reach his empty, soulless heart.

A vampire.

Tifa wrapped her arms around herself, reveling in the warmth of the room, finding the temperature very much the opposite of the chill from outside. But it felt empty, as if lacking something; very much unlike the warmth that had surrounded her within Vincent's embrace.

/No. Don't even think about him, Tifa. It's completely insane; You're a human, only another victim on his blood list. What do you expect him to do when he's done draining the life from your veins? Take you as his own forever? Share his dark little world while hiding from the light of day? No- he would surely get bored of you, if only sooner than later. You'd be alone forever. It would be YOU who'd suffer loneliness and despair for the rest of eternity. You have Cloud, Lockhart. He loves you more than life itself. If you lost him to some dark stranger with a history of nightly blood sprees and inhuman acts of murder../

She sighed deeply, feeling the warm air fill her lungs. The only way to keep her from engaging into his deep web of temptation was to try and convict him as the dark criminal he was..

/But yet.. He lost his entire family./ Her mind reluctantly concluded. Her conscience wouldn't allow her to condemn anyone unfairly like that; the haunting dreams he had sent her each and every excruciating night wouldn't let it. He was shrouded in a loathing emptiness that was inescapable.

He had reached out to her for some unknown reason; it appeared that only she could truly see him. Maybe she was the only one that even knew of his existence.

"But what is it that make's me so different? Why me?" She spoke softly into the still of the darkness, the only presence to acknowledge her was the pale waxy light of the lingering moon.

"..Why me."

.x.x.x.x.

The high backed chair offered no comfort of any kind to Vincent's tensed posture. He leaned uncomfortably to one side, resting his unsettled weight on an elbow, rubbing his pulsing temple with pale, restless fingers.

His mind fluttered over the beautiful image of Tifa Lockhart. He unconsciously licked his lips, the rich taste of her blood still stained on his hungry tongue.

Nothing about her made sense of any kind. Her profound beauty, those intelligent ruby eyes and luscious legs, creamy pale skin and chocolate hair that fell in a velvet descent around her small frame- small, but strong. She could stand up for herself, and probably would have if only he hadn't lured her into his cunning spell.

He scoffed openly to himself, his hallow voice echoing on the cold, empty walls surrounding him. /It's her own fault; she shouldn't have looked into my eyes. The first and most common mistake./

Vincent paused for a moment while his fingers fidgeted with with one of the buckled on his coat collar, remembering how she had searched his gaze for emotion. He felt compelled to give her something to respond to, and so gave her a touch of his inner entity.

He had barely grazed her mind with his emptiness, allowing her a peek into the darkness that was his beating heart. She had looked away, pleading for mercy with a look of absolute empathy in her wide eyes.

He remembered; at the very moment his vain eyes met with hers a warmth had bloomed within him, starting in the depths of his barren heart. It slowly spread through his body, coursing in his veins in a way he had never since felt. It was foreign to him; an ambience he had never known.

/Could it be a human girl's sadness? She had been able to see my true self where no one else had ever before; was it possibly that she mourned for my empty soul?/

Vincent stared at the darkness that loomed in the open air before him, his gaze piercing through it's very shadows. His memory played each moment back to him, pondering on the many actions he had taken account for. After feeling such vital warmth enter his cold body, chasing away the depths of the nightly sorrow that he embodied unwillingly, he lusted for more. He had kissed her then; her lush, full lips a sensational delight to his.

He remembered her struggled, but it was too late; he'd had a taste, and he wanted more. He let a touch of his voracious instinct take control as he grabbed her tighter, reaching for more of her warmth, of her soul.

He had every intention to cut her arm with his claw, and looking back at the situation, he was every bit glad that he did.

The taste of her blood was overwhelming. It was of a lavish exhilaration he had never had the pleasure of tasting before. _God_ how he had wanted to consume her right then and there, forcing her succulent body against the wall as he drank the divine blood within her pulsing veins.

He swore at the time she had called for him to do just that; her eyes were hungry and passionate as he gazed longingly into their ruby depths, which were rich with pure emotion.

How he envied her for such emotion.

But then there was a change in her gaze, as if she had been in a trance. Only this time he had not put a spell on her. She was acting upon her own free will; yet she hesitated. Without a word, she slipped free from his sight.

Everything about this woman confused him.

Why could she see him and feel all of his emptiness? Why had he felt such a wondrous, fulfilling warmth when she looked into his own soulless eyes? Why had he _craved_ her so terribly, and mostly, why did she leave him?

Vincent groaned in frustration and pounded his metal fist into the arm of the chair, sending it into an angry burst of splinters.

"Why should it matter." He said aloud, his words sounding strange to himself. "She's a human. Prey for my kind. No- for _me_."

His thoughts trailed his words. /I have no family left. Those beasts massacred everything we had as a life, as a home. To this very day I'm haunted with the memories of their restless souls, forced to carry out the legacy of an almost dead race alone. Even after every last one of them was destroyed, they sought to kill the woman that meant everything to me./

Vincent closed his eyes, feeling the cold anger rise in his chest, his blood rushing through his pounding veins.

/But why am I even bothering to think of this Tifa. She's nothing to me, and never will be./

He forced every trace of Tifa Lockhart out of his mind as he stormed through the dark halls of the Valentine Manor. He buckled the the collar of his crimson coat from it's opened state back to the way it always had been, hiding the lower portion of his face. The only sound was the fluttering of it's cloth, trailing him as did the pain of the loss that suffocated his forsaken heart.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	9. Traitorous Night

.x.X.x. Something Familiar .x.X.x.

Tifa hardly left her room for the duration of the next few days. She didn't want to make contact with anyone and face the questions about her currently odd condition. As much as she struggled to think about Cloud; she never ceased to fail and give in to the tide of emotions over the enigmatic matter how she tried to keep herself preoccupied, it always ended to no avail. It was as if he was in her blood, a very piece to her heart that could never be taken away.

And the questions- they ceaselessly flooded her tired mind, swimming around and waiting for answers.

She wanted to know what had happened in the past and why; she longed to know why she could hear Vincent's pain, why he was the only one alive of his family, why he had looked at her as he did, why it felt so _good_ when he touched her..

And why was she even attempting to figure anything out by herself.

/I'm not going to find any answers by just sitting here.. But those were the exact thoughts that got me tangled in his web to begin with./

She sighed deeply, a weary fatigue blurring her vision. She was sorely tired but afraid to sleep- afraid that _he_ would come to her again and lure her back to him. She couldn't let that happen, she was not _his _for the taking.

/I love Cloud. I know that with all my heart. And yet why do I still feel this longing for Vincent.../

Tifa immersed her lovely face into the soft fabric of her pillow. She would ponder it later. Sleep was beckoning, lulling her to unconsciousness the moment her ruby eyes closed...

.x.x.x.x.

… and blood red eyes shot open in the blackness of the still air. Another weary, unconscious presence made itself known to his senses, disturbing his restless sleep.

/So, she has finally decided to sleep./

Vincent tapped into his ability, further probing the young girl's sleeping mind. They were the same powers of manipulation he had used in his earlier hunts, which had not been on for years. He had forced the thirst for blood aside in an attempt to cast away his very entity. And a very arduous attempt that had been; his body still longed for the thrill of the chase, to feel the warm liquid of life spill down his throat as his unfortunate victims would struggled for their very last and quiet meaningless breath...

But that life was of the old Vincent, back when the company of his family still surrounded him. That life was gone; and so was his old self as far as he could help it.

He felt a momentous stir in the presence of his mind. She was dreaming; of what he didn't yet know.

His tongue eagerly traced his lips as he delved deeper into the mind of the sleeping Tifa. His mind's sight was stronger than it had been before, he noticed; it was much easier to tap into her dream.

/Perhaps because of the blood I had tasted from her../ He felt his own pulse stir at the mere thought of it. The refinement of Tifa alone was enough to make him throw away his discarded desire for blood. She enticed him beyond _madness_..

Vincent sat upright abruptly. He couldn't take it anymore. For the last two unyielding nights he had tried to free himself of her essence, and had had absolutely no luck of doing so. She had become everything; consuming his mind like an untamed siren, casting a devious spell of desire on his black soul.

He lifted himself from the velvet folds of his enormous bed, grabbed his coat and stormed lithely down the hall. He only paused a moment to look out the giant upstairs window, casting an icy glare at the crescent moon that hung low in the the night sky.

His eyes narrowed and the window pane cracked under his powerful gaze, sending an echo through the oversized hallway. Feeling a strong swell of urgency fill his being, Vincent soundlessly glided down the stairs and to the looming front door. It's great oak mass flung open with childlike ease before Vincent could even lay a finger on it's dusty surface. His senses tingled with the rush of excitement, the long missed thrill of the hunt rushing through his hungry veins.

Hiding his face under the collar of his coat, he whispered the name of the shadows. Immediately his form disappeared into an invisible force unseen to the human eye. Not even the quickly paced echo of footsteps could be heard through the dark empty streets of Nibelheim.

It made no difference anyway, there was no one there to hear him. When the fading light of day finally slipped past the distant horizon, the people locked themselves away in their isolated cozy little homes.

They feared the darkness, and it was because of creatures like him.

A smile flickered onto Vincent's pale lips. He was the one who embraced the night. People used to flinched in fear when his name was mentioned, and jumped at every scintillating shadow that passed before their widened eyes.

He was a Vampire.

And no longer could he ignore the longing for the taste of blood, and no longer could he withhold himself from ravaging the very depths of Tifa's soul. He had the power to take her at will, and based on her reactions from nights before, she _wanted_ him to. She was the key to his soul, the reliever of his endless torment.

Vincent smiled. She _would_ be his.

.x.x.x.x.

The curtains ruffled slightly under an unseen breeze in Tifa's open, spacious room. She unconsciously pulled the covers around her in attempt to ward off the sudden chill that crept into the air, caressing her skin lightly as she staggered in and out of a sleep.

When the harsh chill still persisted to invaded, she finally forced her eyes open toward the cracked window. Letting free a heavy sigh, she swung her weary feet to the cold, unbecoming floor and lazily padded to cinch the window to a yawned openly and with half closed eyelids, turned around to slip back into the welcoming blankets.

What she saw within that split second was completely alarming and unexpected, sending her heart into a jolt of very sudden awakening.

Vincent Valentine hovered in the shadows just before her, staring at her with eyes full of bewilderment and desire, a cold and aggressive look that delivered chills down the length of her slender body.

Tifa gasped and blindly stumbled backwards, a thousand possibilities surging through her all too quickly.

"V-Vincent.. What are you.."

"I came to see you, Tifa." His words cut hers off hastily, yet were spoken with such patience.

"But.. How? You're not supp-"

"Not supposed to be able to enter your home without invitation?" He finished smoothly, taking a slow, deliberate step closer to her. The pale moonlight softly fell across her skin through the window and made Vincent's insides swirl with anticipation. The dusky colors of night brought out her true beauty.

"But... You did invite me." He delighted silently in the look of confusion that betook her beautiful face, drinking in the depths of her crimson eyes. He dared another step forward, watching attentively at how she moved away like a little mouse, her steps blind and faulty as she trained her eyes only on him.

"You invited me with your heart."

Tifa's eyes shifted into a look of sudden shock, as if to deny his statement. But after a moments pause, she drew a long breath and looked away shamefully, biting her lip in lack of a response.

Vincent took this opportunity with haste, gliding forward gracefully and gently taking her into his arms. She gasped but didn't struggle; she looked up into his eyes awaiting his next intimidating move.

Vincent could sense the blood flowing through her inviting veins, could _feel_ every beat of her heart as it pumped it's delicious liquid throughout her trembling body, beckoning him to sip from it's flowing tide.

His own pulse rose, his natural instincts rushing with the thrill of predation. His lips twisted into a smile of corrupted bliss as he studied the curvature of her graceful neck.

Tifa parted her lips to speak, probably to attempt to dissuade him from whatever impure thoughts he was having, but he cut her off quickly with a blood red glare of his lustful eyes.

"Tifa, I can't rid myself of you. From the moment I discovered you could feel my presence, and from the moment you entered my home, I've been tortured. The taste of you, the very _sight _of you drives me to madness. You possess something familiar to me, something that shines some light on this pitiful thing I call existence. I still don't know exactly what that something is, but it captivates me in the most desirable way."

Vincent let the truth roll free of his tongue, feeling somewhat relieved that he _could_ simply tell the truth and not just conceal it in the lie of a spell. He eagerly watched the widened eyes of Tifa, who trembled ever so slightly in his arms.

"I look into your eyes now, and I see the same awareness. I know, too, that you feel something in me."

Tifa looked away from his demanding eyes as a crimson blush graced her porcelain cheeks. She couldn't deny it; he was perfectly right. As much as she had tried...

For the second time since their first meeting, Vincent tenderly lifted Tifa's chin with a pallid finger, forcing her eyes into his. "But Tifa, I don't _feel._ So what is this? What are you doing to me? Why can I _feel _you?"

Tifa didn't know how to answer. She only knew that his words were sincere, she could see it in his eyes. /This isn't right, he shouldn't be here.. I shouldn't be letting him _be_ so close like this.. This is wrong../ Tifa's mind clamored endlessly.. But through everything, she just couldn't ignore how simply right it felt to be so near him again, as if the aching void was filled once more now that she was in his arms.

"I have been so _thirsty_ for blood for such a long time. I've avoided any contact with the outer world until you. And when I tasted you.." Tifa watched in weak anticipation as his eyes intensified and his hold on her tightened, a fiery spirit taking hold of her captor. All she could do was watch.

"I had forgotten how exquisite the taste was, until those tiny drops of your own blood quenched my aged thirst. I need more of you, I can't bear this avarice any longer."

Vincent moved his face in closer to Tifa and her eyebrows knit together in fear. She began to struggled, but he merely tightened his grip as he softly breathed along the luscious skin of her throat.

"I will finally know this burning desire I have for you.. And you for me.. No more of this blind facade."

Tifa whimpered quietly as she felt her head being tilted to the side, anticipating the piercing sharpness of his ever growing fangs drawing nearer to her exposed flesh. A sense of dread imploded in her stumbling mind, but at the same time another consciousness entered, reminding her feebly of how much she truly wanted this, how she wanted to stay by his side forever locked in his blood red gaze, healing his pain.

She braced herself for the piercing of her skin and gave one last sigh of her slipping freedom when a sudden noise cut through the silence of the air, the sound of an opening door and creaking floorboards.

Her eyes flew open as she felt the arms and body of Vincent just disappear, fluttering away frightfully in a cold chill that shocked the air and sent the curtains into a violent stir.

"Tifa?"

Her heart drummed fitfully in her chest as her mind tried to grasp the sudden change of the situation. Her glance darted over to Cloud, just now walking into the room. A look of concern was welded into his icy blue eyes as he rushed to take her in his arms.

"What the hell was that? Are you okay?" His gaze darted down at her, noticing the nearly vacant expression on her unusually pale face.

Tifa shook her head as if avoiding a thought, then smiled childishly up at Cloud. "Just in time! My hero." She said, forcing her voice to sound as casual as possible. It was how she'd normally respond, right?

"I cracked the window a bit to chase out the stuffy air when a giant bat came fluttering in." She lied, trying to look as innocent as possible. Cloud could never know about Vincent, she had decided. Nobody could. If anybody found out.. She bit her lip unconsciously, chasing away the thought.

"I said are you okay?" Cloud repeated, unheard.

"Uh, yeah. I think so. I wasn't quite awake yet, so I wasn't prepared." She batted her eyes up at him. "Thank goodness for my hero."

She hugged him, truthfully feeling happy to have him back in her arms once more. A nagging sensation tagged at her mind, making her realize how different it felt compared to Vincent's embrace.. But she willingly pushed the thought aside. Cloud was home, finally home with her. What could stop her from being happy, right?

Cloud hugged her body tightly, feeling so relieved and happy to finally be home again. He noticed that something felt different in the way that she held him, but he pushed it aside, assuming that it was just because of his long time absence.

"Geez Tif, you're freezing!" He said, rubbing lightly at her arms. "How long have you had the window open?"

"Not until just now. It's been really cold outside here lately. I'm surprised you're not freezing yourself, after riding Blade out there." She replied, feeling the warm electricity creep back into her skin once more.

Cloud picked her up unexpectedly and walked her over to the bed, then lovingly laid her down, tucking her in with a playful expression on his face. He continued the conversation while walking over to the window to close it completely.

Tifa bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't find anything incriminating her little visit with Vincent.

"Well, you'll never know who I ran into." Cloud unknowingly cut her thoughts. "Cid Highwind was in Kalm where I had to drop that little thief off, and offered a ride back after my job was done. He told me about how you haven't been around anyone for a couple of days, and he was a bit concerned for your health from those nightmares."

Cloud yanked the window shut and latched it tightly, then jumped back quickly at the sudden appearance of frost on the glass. It spidered over the translucent surface at a shocking pace, startling him in confusion.

"What the hell.. It must be really damn cold out there to do that."

Tifa bit her lip silently again, hiding the true emotions that filled her heart. She had a secret now, a sinful one. She had to be very careful not to allude Cloud to it- what would he ever think? Surely she would lose him.. And worse, she would hurt him deeply..

Cloud smiled and shook it off, slipping into the covers next to Tifa and instinctively pulling her closer. After a second's pause, she snuggled back into his weary chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing.

"I really missed you, Tifa." He said softly.

She lifted her chin to look into his eyes, smiling. "I missed you too, Cloud. Tomorrow we'll have to celebrate. After you get some rest." She tenderly placed a kiss on his lips as he smiled in return, letting gravity take control of his tired eyes.

"Celebrate?"

"For my hero's great victory." She smiled, and listened quietly at the slowing pace of his heart as he peacefully drifted into a slumber.

/Now this is where I truly belong.../

She closed her eyes.

.x.x.x.x.

Vincent glared in through the window with great incredulity. He had been so close; he had felt the pulse of Tifa's heart in his mouth, it's soft throb drumming against his tongue.

And then _he_ came in.

As he watched in through Tifa's second story window, he observed with a keen indignation the language between the two. He should have know that she would already have a someone to love her.

He immediately despised the blonde haired man, who he had vaguely recognized from some point in time. He was interfering with his plans with Tifa, taking away from him the very object of his existence.. Or so he had come to believe.

The blonde man came close to the window and Vincent quickly concealed himself in his shadow. He watched in disgust as the young man closed the window, studying the perfect features of his face, his muscular tones, his icy blue eyes which rivaled that of his own blood red orbs.

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the glass, and the coldness of ice laced the surface. He watched as Cloud jumped in unexpected surprise and searched the window for the source of the mysterious phenomenon.

Vincent glared bitterly at his new rival. He swore to himself at that very moment that this strangely familiar man would have to be eliminated. _Nothing_ would stand between him and Tifa; he needed her like the moon needed the night sky. She was the key to his freedom..

Vincent took one last glance at the blonde man as he crawled into the bed with his chocolate haired beauty.

He swore to himself that Tifa would be his. It could be very easy, his powers of seduction and manipulation could draw her out any time he wanted. He could do it here and now if he pleased... but no. He had already decided that not only would she be his, but _willingly_.

Vincent smiled to himself once more. It was all a matter of time; but he truly knew that she was the one he needed.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.


	10. Unspoken Emotion

..x.X.x. Unspoken Emotion .x.X.x..

Cloud couldn't feel happier to be back home. He was transfixed on the inspiring love between himself and Tifa; what they had was practically all too good to be true. They had known each other since childhood and had been inseparable ever since.

However, this time returning home was much different. Tifa seemed somewhat distracted, for lack of any other explanation. He had wondered if maybe something more had happened with the strange attack she had been subjugated to many nights ago, but he knew that she would have told him. She wasn't one to keep secrets; not from him.

He rolled his head lazily to the side to gaze at the sleeping girl beside him. The nightmares must have ceased; she had shown no signs of distress in the last two nights that he'd been home. At that moment a slight blush had crept onto her pale cheeks, displaying all too well that she was dreaming of something rather.. nice, if not sinful.

A faint smiled etched on his masculine lips as he instinctively leaned over to kiss the soft cheek of his love. He watched as she stirred quietly and felt his heart pulse warmly at the flutter of her thick eyelashes.

Her large bright eyes reflected the morning sunlight, making the crimson flecks glow like a flickering flame in the breeze. At first glance they had portrayed the essence of hopefulness, a longing he couldn't quite place.. And though she said nothing unusual, he could see that when she focused, her eyes fell with the slightest hint of disappointment.

It made his heart ache; what was it that she was keeping from him?

The idea instantly erased itself when she smiled. Her lush lips tenderly brushed across his, sending a wondrous warmth throughout his body. Her voice was like music to his ears.

"Morning, Cloud." Her smiled remained painted on her face, her skin glowing like a goddess from the heavens. Cloud smiled softly in return, feeling so utterly lucky to have this beautiful woman for himself. He swore again and again that he'd never take for granted any time with her..

As if to break his trance, she turned away and clambered out of bed, her long chocolate hair swaying in silk strands behind her. Something silver reflected in the morning rays, something keenly unfamiliar. He squinted and took a closer look, straining to see as she walked to the full length mirror across the room.

"Tifa, where did you get that necklace?" He asked softly, confusion apparent in his tone. He didn't quite remembering seeing it around her dainty neck when she went to bed..

As if to reflect his own thoughts, her glance quickly darted to the mirror in front of her. Her fingers immediately reached up and tenderly touched the cold silver, admiring it as if for the first time. It was a small, dainty silver chain adorned with several tiny ebony roses laced around three teardrop shaped diamonds. They glittered with elegance in the faint golden light.

She quickly summed up an answer.

"Oh, I must have forgotten to take this off last night.." She licked lightly at her lips. "I bought it while you were gone. I had some extra money from tips at the bar, so I thought, why not? It's pretty, huh?"

She turned to face Cloud, smiling brightly, showing off the silver necklace casually. Cloud's expression softened a little, but confusion still filled his eyes.

A pang of guilt struck Tifa's heart. This was unbearable; lying so easily to his face like she was. And this necklace.. She didn't even want to think of how, or when he came in to put it around her neck.. She was so deeply involved in her dreams about..

"Vincent.." Her lips formed the name, but never spoke them. She didn't dare to, she didn't even mean to..

"Tifa? Are you alright?" Cloud sat up, placing his feet firmly on the cold, solid floor. "You've.. Been acting kind of off here lately. Actually ever since I got home."

Tifa's eyes turned briefly to the floor in thought, but quickly elevated to look into Cloud's deep icy glare. She smiled lightly and walked to him, sitting on his lap and lacing her arms around him lovingly.

"I know, I'm sorry. I honestly don't know what's wrong with me." She kissed him softly, watching the worry fade away from his face, replaced with that of tenderness. He embraced her back, searching for the feeling that always took over him whenever she hugged him before.

But it wasn't there.

He smiled in return and countered with another tender kiss.

/It's probably just me./ He thought sullenly to himself. /I've been gone longer than usual this time.. I just need a little time to readjust./

With that, the couple stood up and went about themselves to get ready for the day. Tifa took her place again before the mirror and stared at the mysterious necklace, making sure that the clothes she garnished matched it's ebony shades.

Cloud couldn't help but notice from the corner of his eye. Tifa's gaze had flickered to the single window to their room a couple of times, but he quickly dismissed it.

She soon walked out the door and down to the kitchen to make breakfast, stopping to send him a playful wink before she disappeared. Cloud couldn't help but smile, and soon followed her down.

As if a second thought, he turned to close the curtain to the window to block it from view. He felt a bit foolish to do so, but he wanted to unveil what it was that was causing this odd tension inside of him.

With one last standing glance, he sighed heavily and made his way downstairs.

.x.x.x.x.

The day ahead had been pretty ordinary. Cloud attempted to stay as close to Tifa as possible, as if to maybe uncover the unknown entity that was bugging her.

He had noticed that night at dinner that she had a large scar on her arm. Tifa had blushed slightly when he inquired about it, having completely forgotten about it.

"One of the customers at the bar got a little too drunk. The guy with the red hair.. Reno, I think. I had to, you know, take care of him and got this as a result." She avoided eye contact with him for a moment, biting her tongue feebly in ignorant regret.

Cloud sighed deeply and laid his head back further into his pillow, feeling the weight of Tifa's head on his chest. He draped one arm protectively around her and felt her gaze peering up at him silently.

When he lowered his own gaze to look at her, she had closed her ruby eyes in attempted sleep. He smiled warmly and tenderly brushed a few stray locks from her face.

Without another word, he closed his eyes as well, and drifted into a deep, inviting sleep. One that would curiously stir him all too soon.

.x.x.x.x.

Peace had surrounded him in the surreal vision of his dream. He felt the warmth of Tifa's body wrapped around him, it's comfort absorbing his mind in the soft darkness. The air was very relaxing, feeling every muscle in his body sigh with lavish solace.

And then a disruption. A disturbing sense a violence began to creep into the vision, the air thickening and grasping at his lungs. Cloud sat up in his dream, struggling for breath while haplessly grasping at his suddenly aching throat. The surrounding air began to get cold very rapidly, sending chills down his spine.

When he opened his eyes in the dream, he found a pair of red ones staring at him from the darkness. They were full of malice and possessive threat.

/Tifa?/ He had called out, hearing the rasp of his voice as the dense air crowded his dying lungs.

Tifa opened her eyes from her sleeping position and looked up at him, but no, they were not the sparkling ruby eyes he had known. They were darker, and... _strange_. They were the very opposite of his love's. /But then who-/

The eyes in the shadow before him lowered in an offensive stance, an ancient power radiating in a blood red glow. Cloud felt succumbed, as if unwillingly obeying a master's orders.

Unable to move, Cloud could only feel the thick air begin to stir. The chill scraped against his skin like ice, and all he could look at were those leering eyes.

A voice sounded through the dark bitterness. It was deep and strong, tainted with a blackened grace. It beheld a fierce command laced with a hatred that flowed deeply.

"_She is mine."_

Cloud could only blink, fighting off the fear that kept tugging at his brain. He kept his features as calm as he could manage, but he just couldn't rid himself of the powerless subjugation that had control over him.

"Tifa is mine. I will have her, and you _will not_ stand in my way."

With that last fading statement, the darkness imploding around him sending him swirling ever so quickly back to consciousness. His eyes darted open to the darkness of night, his breathing shallow and his skin sweltering in a glimmer of panicked sweat.

Tifa stirred quietly on top of him, obviously awakened by Cloud's sudden jolt into wakefulness. Her large eyes indolently fluttered open and up at his clammy face.

When she saw his condition, she immediately sat up and cradled his face in her petite hands.

"Cloud, are you ok? What happened?"

He raised a hand to his balmy forehead, only to see how much his fingers were trembling. He had been shaken more than he thought. Who could blame him, though; the dream had _felt_ so incredibly real.

He steadied his voice and masked his concern from Tifa. He would rather figure this for himself over making her even more upset.

"No, I'm alright. Just a.. Bad dream, that's all."

Tifa settled back down against his chest, yet kept her fragile eyes trained on his, smiling reassuringly. "Want to tell me about it?"

Cloud smiled back as best as he could. "It was nothing. Just another one of those lost fights."

Tifa kissed him lightly. "Well, no need to worry about that when you've got me here to protect you, right?"

Her smile was undoubtedly warming, but Cloud felt a sinking in his soul. If his dream had been more than just the mere illusion of a sleeping mind, then someone _wanted_ her.

As Cloud gently smiled back and draped an arm around Tifa's slender shoulders, he silently prayed that he was wrong, that the dream was in fact just a dream.

.x.x.x.x.

[A/N part deux: Oh, it's so TERRIBLE! Poor Cloud, he has no idea what he's up against! Don't you just feel so bad for the guy?? :]


	11. Bitter Affection

..x.X.x. Bitter Affection .x.X.x..

The weeks were rolling by, and Marlene had been running the bar in Tifa's place for the last few days. Tifa had kindly objected, but Marlene insisted that it was alright.

Cloud sat alone at the bar table, quietly sipping at his favorite choice beverage, thinking sullenly to himself. For two nights he had the same dream; both containing the terrifying sense of submission, the air tugging from his lungs while his skin burned with the fierce cold of the surrounding darkness.

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his mind remember the way the red eyes had glared at him. The second night, they were more intense and furiously determined.

But what ate him the most- what wrenched at his insides with a burning sting that hadn't yet faded, was what he had heard uttered from Tifa's lips in the late hours of last night.

She was fidgeting in her sleep, turning slightly for whatever unknown reasons. Cloud had awakened and was about to bring her to consciousness, merely thinking she was having another nightmare. But before he could reach out to her, she whispered something that halted his heart from beating in his chest.

-x-x-

"Vincent.."

He watched in appalled horror as her eyebrows furrowed together in the state of her dream. She stirred a little more, while small gasps erupted from her lips.

Cloud felt his whole body paralyze, his arms became heavy as stone around her slender shoulders. He could feel her body become tense and relax, all in liquid motions.

A quiet moan escaped her throat, followed by more vacant whispers.

"Please, no Vincent.." Another silent, lustful breath.

A moment later.

"Then... don't stop..."

-x-x-

Cloud shook his head, trying to shake free of the memory. His heart was shredded into a million shards of sadness and pain.

His fingers shook a little as he raised the liquor filled glass to his lips once more, this time devouring the it down in one entire, breathless swallow. It burned slightly on the way down, but compared to how his heart ached, it felt quite refreshing.

A millions time the tears threatened the corners of his eyes, begging to flow free down his cold cheeks. His eyes were sore and ringed with darkness, manifesting all the stress and sorrow that weighed on his chest.

He had managed to force himself to sleep to escape the reality that was bashing at his skull, but even that was too much to ask. Not long after his eyes had closed, the vision had come with the cold, glaring _wanting _red eyes.

When the mysterious entity had spoken his threat to take Tifa, Cloud was unable to sleep anymore. All he could do was hold the dreaming girl in his heavy, dead arms while she envisioned the touch of another.

He had slipped easily away from Tifa that morning, wishing not to see her just yet. Before she could open her eyes fully, he told her he was going out to train. She yawned and smiled happily, replying that she would probably do the same once she willed herself out of bed.

And now, here he was.

/Well, I guess now I know wether it's just a dream or not. Unlucky for me./

Familiar footsteps approached Cloud from behind at that moment, yet he didn't even try to respond.

Cid Highwind seated himself next the slouched form of Cloud, giving him a hardy slap on the back, grinning wildly in his gruff manner.

"Well now, lookit who we have here. Long time no see, right? Good to be home again I bet."

The captains grin quickly faded when he saw the anguished expression on Cloud's face.

"Whoa, whoa. What's wrong there man?"

Cloud closed his eyes, feeling the sting penetrate his tired lids. It took a moment for him to summon his voice in response, but Cid's gaze never faltered.

"I.. I think Tifa's being taken from me."

"What? But how the hell is that possible? She's head over heel's for ya, and always has been. You should see the way she mopes around for ya when yer gone on a job." Cid raised a hand and called for another two rounds.

Cloud sighed heavily and lifted his gaze, peering sullenly ahead of him at nothing in particular. His eyes looked, but didn't _see_.

"No, I don't think it's by her own choice. I think she's being enticed."

Cid raised an eyebrow curiously. "By who?"

"By that damn vampire."

Cid's expression widened visibly. "What?! What the hell you talkin' about? Those demons are all dead, wiped out by the everyone years ago."

"But there was one." Cloud laughed to himself quietly, though mirth was apparently absent from his tone. "Yes, their family was destroyed. Everyone thought they were all gone, but many, many years later, the following generation discovered that there was one still alive in the house. He never came out, obviously scorned by the loss of his family, living as the last of his entire species."

He shrugged absently and took another drink from the refilled glass set before him on the table. "I guess some of the townspeople took pity on him for what happened and left him alone. After all, he never ventured out of that house, never bothered or contacted anybody."

"Until now." Cid interjected, his gaze also drifted and sparkled at the fresh liquid. "I'll be damned. How many people know 'bout this?"

"Just a few. We don't talk about it, trying to forget I guess. And now.." Cloud's voice wavered in a sudden wave of emotion, his fist clenching tightly. "He's.. He's finally making himself known. Tifa told me she was attacked a couple nights after I left for Kalm. She said there was something strange about him.. That he blended with the shadows, or something like that."

Cid nearly spit out the liquid he had just sipped a second ago. "What?! You serious? She never said shit to me!"

"Yeah, well it happened. My guess is that it was him. Vincent, I think his name is." Cloud's expression turned to that of anger. He let all the sadness and pain inside twist and boil into a steady sea of rage.

"And ever since he ran into her that night, he's been wanting her for his own.." He brought his fist down violently against the table, sending ripples to dance on the surface of the liquor.

He decided to keep certain facts to himself. This was a personal battle for him, and he personally wanted to bring it to an end.

There was no way in hell he would let some imprudent, worthless vampire take Tifa away like that. This Vincent creature was a waste of flesh, in his eyes, and needed to be exterminated like the rest of his damnable family. They were a plague, a despotic disease that needed to be erradicated.

And by God, he would do just that.

.x.x.x.x.

Tifa couldn't stop herself from thinking about the last few nights. Vincent had been seeing her in her dreams; though she could hardly even call them that considering they were more like visions. They were so incredibly, _dangerously_ vivid.

He had been visiting her, and each time they were submerged in their own surreal world of fantasy, all of Vincent's own creations. As much as she fought it, she found herself succumbed weakly to each one.

No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she felt as though she were falling in love with Vincent. There was so much about him that she didn't know and understand, but oh how she _yearned_ to learn everything. His presence completed her soul in such a delightful way, and the way his blood filled eyes traced the curve of her body enticed her to drink even more in the beauty that was his.

She felt bonded to him, she felt as if she were inexorably connected to his immortal soul.

Normally, she would find that very unnerving and uncomfortable. She was a very independent woman who spoke and acted entirely for herself, but whenever Vincent could be felt in the air.. Even when she merely whispered his name, his power would consume her.

She hated it and loved it, wanted it and pushed it away. So many violent emotions tugging at her tortured heart, as if she were to choose between her beloved Cloud and enchanting Vincent.

When he visited her in her dreams he was everything but seclusive. He was very much the opposite, in fact. He had made love to her in such a divine passion that it often awoke her in a way that left her speechless for hours. She blushed at the memory. It could almost, in fact, be a true memory, considering how unbelievably real the dream was.. Something Vincent was _very_ good at.

Moreover, she blushed in shame.

She had tried to push Vincent away, tried to dissuade him from touching her as he had.. But at the same instance she was craving him with an insatiable desire. Even in her dream, his touch felt like velvet on her skin, sending wave after wave of ecstasy throughout her entire body. She always awoke shivering from the mere experience.

And then, to see Cloud's face. The first night, he had been sleeping so peacefully, cradling her lovingly in his strong arms with the faintest of smiles on his face.

But this last night.. He was different. She awoke once again from Vincent's pleasuring to the diminishing form of Cloud. He was leaving to train, as he had told her, with a quaint sense of urgency. But the way he carried his voice and ways in which his hands lightly shivered, there seemed to be something more.

/He knows something is different about me.. What if he's starting to find out what?/ Tifa fitfully bit her lip in concern. /I'm so sorry, Cloud.. I honestly don't want to hurt you, if that's what the problem is.. All you've ever done is love me, and look at how I repay you../

A strong wave of guilt crashed into Tifa, with an impact equal to that of braking into a solid brick wall. Her heart wrenched bitterly in her chest, her stomach tightening into knots of nervous tension.

/I can't keep doing this. Whatever hold Vincent has on me, no matter what it may be or how deep it may go, I _have_ to stop this madness. He's a _vampire_, for God's sake, and I'm a human. I've been with Cloud all of my life and with no regrets. All of a sudden, I run into a dark, handsome stranger and think I'm falling in love? No, it's just a foolish fantasy, and one that I can't live anymore. Who am I to hurt Cloud like this?/

She sat up in her bed, feeling the rush of cool, dry air on her tender skin, sending shivers and chills down the length of her spine. The room was darker than usual, and her eyes came to rest upon the window. The thick curtains had been closed, more than likely by Cloud, and blocked out the soft rays of sunlight that often drifted in the room.

She began to walk quietly to the window when a sudden and most familiar presence made itself known. Tifa paused in the midst of her steps, extending her senses to try and disciple where it was coming from.

She was standing directly before the full length mirror, and her eyes darted lithely to it's silver reflection to see what was behind her. At the same moment, it's surface rippled as she watched a strand of her chocolate hair sweep aside by some invisible force.

Her eyes closed ever so slightly as a warm, moist breath graced her skin tenderly along the side of her neck, her heartbeat instantly slowing in repose.

Strong, wintry hands slipped around her tiny waist in a lover's embrace, and instantly she could feel the familiar bitter steel of an unnatural claw.

Tifa laid her head back lightly against the taller man's shoulder, opening her eyes to gaze at herself and the form of the reflection-less stranger.

Vincent only gazed deeply into hers in return, probing their depths as he had always loved to do. His face was ever expressionless, his pale, silky skin beautifully embellished in the dark shades of the sunless room.

His eyes silently traced down to her slender, milky shoulders to see that his gift was placed delicately around her neck. The ebony roses and diamond drops glittered elegantly against her satin flesh, adorning the curve of her neck in such an appealing manor. He reached up his clawed hands and ever so delicately traced it's resting place against her skin, sending quiet shivers down her spine. Reticently, he licked at his teeth.

Tifa barely managed to stifle back a disheartening sob. His eyes quickly returned to the slender features of her beautiful face, only to find anguish and sadness in the depths of her ruby eyes.

"Why, Vincent?" Her voice was barely preceding a whisper, her sobs breaking through as she slowly surrendered to her feelings.

His clawed hand belatedly fell around her waist again, hugging her body close to his, quenching his firm desire to hold her forever. Why such emotions would take over his soul like this, he still did not yet know. Why he felt so strongly for this woman, he couldn't even yet fathom; he craved to understand these feelings, and the only way to do so was to give in; to be with her.

What had started out as revenge had turned into something of a completely different matter.

Tifa turned her gaze to the mirror again, searching for Vincent's reflection next to hers, but again saw nothing. Only herself, with her reddening eyes and her flushed skin under the dark man's wonderfully fulfilling touch.

Vincent closed his eyes and lowered his face so that it hovered equally next to Tifa's. His steady breathing against her skin continued to send her heart into ballets of intrigue, and yet her feet wouldn't dare to dance.

"Why?" He echoed softly, his voice surprisingly gentle as opposed to what Tifa was used to hearing. It touched her soul.

She slid her arms around the top of Vincent's, hugging him closer to her as he remained standing dominantly behind her. Her hands tightly gripped over his, displaying the heavy emotions surging mercilessly within her mind.

"Why.. Why must I feel so deeply for you?" The sobs strengthened in her voice, wavering the confidence that was usually there.

"Why do I feel so complete with you.. As if I need you over everything else.. It's... it's so wrong!" A silver tear glimmered as it slid gingerly down her pale cheek.

Vincent tightened his grip around the girl, pondering the question in his own mind.

"Tifa.."

He closed his eyes and stepped away from the sobbing woman, releasing her from his embrace. His voice hardened and his eyes intensified, breaking free from the softened spell that had taken over him for the moment. His resolve led him back to his old self as he straightened himself and glared down at Tifa, who had turned to look at him with bright, glistening eyes that reflected the need for answers.

He wordlessly sent a message into her mind, his voice once again deep and possessive. /Tonight, Tifa./

"Please, don't go.." She felt another hot tear make it's path down her already moist skin. "I still-"

But before she could even finish the statement he disappeared from sight, once again fading into a swirling shadow and fluttering through the curtains, leaving them to sway in his wake.

Tifa fell to her knees and let the tears fall free, her cries and sobs echoing to unhearing ears in her abandoned room.

She was so utterly lost; completely unknowing of how to mend the situation she had been led astray to. It was almost too much for her heart to bear, but it was her heart that had gotten her into this to begin with.

/It's my own fault.. And now I'm left to decide on what to do. Either way, someone is going to get hurt.. Which means that either way, I'll hurt too./

But she had to make a sacrifice. There was no such thing as casually playing both sides, it was just morally wrong, and the one she loved didn't deserve that.

The only question posed to her now; Who does she truly love?

.x.x.x.x.

Cloud pulled away from the doorframe and back into the shadows of the hallway, the sound of Tifa's cries within the room haunting his ears. He had seen and heard everything.

Cloud's form slowly slid down against the wall until he was hunched on the floor, his eyes aimlessly staring at the floor. Tears would have flowed from his icy, pale eyes if he would have given them a chance, but no. There was no room for sadness.

Only hatred.

His suspicions had been painfully correct, and now he had to deal the consequences. That bastard vampire was stealing Tifa's heart from him, and hurting her terribly in the process. Her tainted cries which could still be heard were proof enough of that. Cloud's fists clenched so tightly it hurt, thoughts of violence clearly absorbing every thought in his tormented mind. He would track this Vincent Valentine down and hunt like the animal he was.

He would suffer for hurting Tifa, and he would pay for attempting to steal her heart.

Cloud promised venomously to himself that Vincent Valentine would die, and that the treacherous spell he had placed on his Tifa would be broken. She would be free again, free to love _him_ as she had before.

His eyes narrowed virulently. It was all a matter of when.

.x.x.x.x.

That night, there was hardly a word spoken between Cloud and Tifa. Both of them were swirling deeply in the whirlpool of chaotic emotions, and both were secretly sworn to silence. It felt like a curse hung heavy in the air, threatening the tongue of the first to speak.

Whenever one of them did actually slice through the silence with a word or two, it was usually spoken with brief, silent care.

The evening passed by quickly, which was a relief for the stressed couple. The silence had been all but easy on Tifa through the duration of the day. When they were somewhat comfortably between the blankets of their bed, Tifa snuggled in closely to Cloud, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his muscular form.

Cloud's eyes remained closed as he in turn hugged her close. Tifa lifted her chin to look at his face, and could see his attempt to concealed the agony from his features. He was desperately trying to hide it, she knew his well enough to see through it with ease.

Biting her lip, she nervously spoke up, unable to bear the silence. She meant to speak in a strong, clear voice of resolution, but it came out rather timid and meek.

"Cloud?"

His only response was the opening of his fascinatingly blue eyes, which pierced into her own intense ruby ones.

"You know I love you right?"

A small smile tugged at his lips and he embraced the girl tighter, feeling as though his soul had been momentarily set free. He gently squeezed her to his body, and to his surprise, he felt that essence that always beckoned his soul whenever she hugged him. It was weak, but it was there.

"Of course.. Tifa." He closed his eyes again and smelled her hair, smelled the whole of her body entangled in his loving arms. /There's still hope. I will free you soon../

"I love you so much.." Cloud never realized that she was silently weeping, warm tears dripping down her porcelain cheeks. She knew inside that she loved him, she loved him very deeply. She knew the decision she had to make. It would be very hard, but it absolutely had to be done. It was for the better; and besides, things would be normal again soon, right?

She knew the events to come on this night would not be easy, but she had to, for Cloud. She sighed deeply, soon drifting into a sleep of nothingness which twisted and flowed with the rhythm of an unseen melody, where fears and worries simply did not exist. She knew Vincent would visit her there tonight, and it was her chance to tell him.

She would have to let Vincent go.

.x.x.x.x.

Vincent sat at the bench of his old grande piano, staring blankly at the old ivory and ebony keys. Inside he could sense the turmoil that Tifa was feeling. He could taste the hot, sweet tears that fell gracefully down her cheek, knowing that they were because of him.

His heart was swelling with anticipation. He had not felt so lively in such a long time, and he didn't know or understand exactly why he was feeling as he was, or even at all.

He tenderly tapped one of the lower keys, listening to the deep vibration penetrate the stillness of the air. It almost resonated in his soul from it's deep rich tone, and Vincent immediately felt compelled to play.

He reached far into his memory, back when his family was still alive and back when he still contained two normal hands and not this confounded metal claw.

He found the perfect melody inside of himself. Closing his eyes, he focused on the music that emanated from his dark heart, a music he hadn't felt in such a _long_ time. Perhaps.. Just perhaps it was Tifa that was sending his heart alight.

Vincent tapped into the emotions, and translated them into musical notes. Raising his hands to the keys with eyes still closed, he let free those notes of longing.

The piano echoed his feelings with deep, libidinous notes that echoed with passion all throughout the house. It stirred the air and gave it a sense of life, vibrating the air and sending the dust to twirl in silver waltzes in the shimmering air.

Vincent kept his eyes closed, letting the tune flow free of him, and as he concentrated he sent the tune to drift into Tifa's sleeping mind. Within the melody, Vincent enlaced the names of peace and security, sending her mind into a deeper sleep where fear, worry and sadness could not be felt.

His lips curved into a daring smile as his personal melody filled the air with more intensity, never straying from the deep, sad tune.

/Tonight is the one, Tifa. At the right moment I will free your soul from this sadness. You will no longer feel the tense weight of humanity or life- you'll be with me. We'll no longer live alone, but forever in the company of each other. Come to me... I will free you../

.x.x.x.x.


	12. Mask of Ice and Stone

..x.X.x. Mask of Ice and Stone .x.X.x..

Her dream unexpectedly came to a reluctant end. Her eyes snapped open urgently, the wondrous and enigmatic melody in her mind disappearing into nothingness, leaving not even a trace in her sudden, awoken memory.

She squinted through the darkness and glanced at the peaceful face of Cloud beneath her. His rhythmic breathing and slow heartbeat soothed her. A pang of guilt once again struck her like a hammer of ice because of how she had betrayed him and lied to his face. He deserved none of it.

Letting the thoughts disperse with a sigh, she slowly and carefully crept out of the warmth of the bed. Cloud stirred slightly at her sudden absence, causing Tifa to suck in her breath and hold it, hoping he'd remain that way until she at least returned.

After a moment, she silently padded to the door, grabbing her grey cloat and gracefully sweeping it around her shoulders. Before she completely disappeared out the door, she cast a longing gaze back at Cloud. Sighing once more, she whispered out to his sleeping ears.

"I'm sorry Cloud, I won't be long. I'm going to end this now, for you... for us." She turned and walked out, leaving only more words in her wake. "I love you, Cloud."

.x.x.x.x.

His eyes were open as he listened to the sound of the door quietly closing downstairs. He closed them for a moment, reminiscing on Tifa's final words. A wild stir of emotions had overtaken him when she left, happiness, fear, worry, love; he couldn't decipher which one presided over the other.

He let his eyes close for a brief moment, then pushed himself out of bed. Walking to the window, he pushed the heavy curtains aside with a single sweep of his hand. The moonlight was gorgeous tonight night. It hung low and round in the deep ebony horizon, illuminating everything in sight with a deathly glow. When his tired eyes gazed at it long enough, he swore he could see a thin rim of crimson surrounding the perfect, white sphere. His eyes only lingered long enough, then let his gaze wander down to where Tifa was headed.

She was already on the other side of town, he could see clearly enough. She was a speck in the night, but it was clear of her destination. The Nibelheim Manor.

/No, the Valentine Manor. Can't forget that, now./

Cloud longed to follow her on her journey, at least to watch and make sure she was ok. He closed his eyes painfully, remembering what his original plans had been.

/I was supposed to follow her. Actually, I wasn't planning on her being there at all. I was supposed to go alone, to destroy this Vincent Valentine./ A burdened sigh escaped his parched lips. /But.. not after what she said. She's going to try and take care of this herself. She still loves me, after all.. I trust her. If she could have gotten this far along without falling for his wicked spell, then she should be able to deride it, too. Just.. Please be careful, Tifa./

He considered going anyway, for her own safety's sake. But if he were discovered..

Maybe after all of this is over, things will be forgotten and back to normal. He had to give it at least a slight chance.A small smile warmed his face. "Normal."

.x.x.x.x.

Tifa tenderly pushed the front door open, easily shifting forward as she had expected it to. This time, instead of being greeted by the stark of darkness, she was welcomed to a soft inviting glow.

She stepped in quietly closing the door behind her, and then let her gaze drift around the quiet foyer. All the walls had been lined with silver sconces, each holding it's own personal candle.

Another row of sconces lined the railings of the grand staircase, giving the whole atmosphere a magical aura. The air itself seemed lively and warm, hinted with the faint scent of roses. Another glance told Tifa that every vase was elegantly filled with perfectly trimmed roses of a most unusual color; ebony.

Tifa couldn't help but touch her necklace, aligned with the same black roses that decorated the overly spacious room.

Movement caught her eye.

Her attention was brought to the top of the stairs where a dashingly familiar figure stood, tall, thin, and elegantly poised with his coat unbuckled, exposing his handsome face. The man's eyes were glowing darkly with red rapture.

Vincent.

Tifa tried to bring forth the words she had practiced the entire duration of the walk, but as always in his presence, all was lost. The warmth of tears gathered in her glistening eyes as she watched Vincent effortlessly glide down the steps. Within seconds, it seemed, he was with her.

He paused at the base of the steps, looking at her with a curiosity she had never seen in him before. Nothing about him appeared ominous or evil, she couldn't sense fury, pain or loss in the air at all. He seemed.. Happy.

/But then I'm going to break his heart. Is it true that he loves me like this? Is it even possible? How can I go through with this? I still don't know why but he _completes_ me../

A silent whisper was uttered from his appealing lips, soft as a summer's breeze, her name rolling gracefully off of his tongue.

/She's here. She's finally with me after so many lonely years./ Vincent closed his eyes, something he _never_ did in the presence of anyone. /Perhaps I am not meant to be alone for eternity, after all. Perhaps all this time I have been meant to live for this single moment, when this beautiful young woman would join me-/

His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he suddenly felt warm arms embracing him tightly, almost desperately. It confused him at first./..Why so tightly? I'm not going anywhere./

He let his own arms slip around her slender waist, stroking delicately at her hair. The feeling of warmth and sentiment flooded his very soul, piercing through his own darkness and releasing him from his world of sorrow and hate, if at least for a brief moment.

/Could this be... Is this love?/

Tifa buried her face in his chest, wishing to hide her tears. She tried her hardest to mask her feelings, so that he wouldn't be able to tap into her mind and discover her intentions before she had a chance to tell him herself.

The way Vincent cradled her so close and delicately touched her heart, breaking it even further- already on the brink of shattering. Before she could say anything, Vincent's voice tenderly filled the silence. "Tifa, there's so I much I need to tell you."

Her porcelain face gazed slowly up at him, her eyes slightly red from crying. He didn't bother asking why; he assumed he already knew the cause. After all, she and Cloud had appeared to be close. He gently raised a hand to her face, caressing her soft cheek as he gazed deeply into her glistening ruby eyes. The light of the many candles had the most fascinating effect on her beauty. The way the dancing flames flickered lively in her wide eyes, their soft glow illuminating her pale skin, dancing in the dark silk of her hair..

His heart danced at the sight of her. Her touch alone brought feelings of unfathomable joy. And freedom.

"Tifa, you know how intimately aware we are of each other? There's a reason for that. You and I are connected, bonded to the same delicate strand of life."

He paused for moment, watching Tifa's eyes glow with understanding, apparently happy to hear that he shared the same feelings. There was another emotion settled in her eyes, but instead of prying deeper he pressed on. "Long ago, my family owned and lived within this house. They were, like me, vampires from an ancient blood, surviving thousands of years in this world. They were the last of a dying breed. Humans didn't like us or anything associated with with us, and so they sought to destroy."

"What happened to cause this?" She couldn't help but question. Her voice came out soft, almost as if she were floating in a dream.

Vincent's eyes closed momentarily once again. "It's simple- because we fed off of the blood of humans. We didn't need it to survive, but consumed it as a delicacy. At least, at one point in time it was. After many years, some vampires became glutenous for the taste of blood, ravaging it from any human they crossed paths with. It spread like a plague from from clan to clan, lasting for hundreds of years, causing the human race to respect and fear us. And most of all-"

"To hate you." Tifa had said softly, understanding creeping into her eyes. "So that explains why you didn't need blood to survive these past years." She closed her eyes comfortingly and nuzzled into Vincent's chest again, listening intently.

"That's humans collected themselves and began to hunt the vampires, as we once did to them. My family survived to the very end, fleeing from their homeland to live here in Nibelheim. We stowed away in this manor, making it our private residence for many years. We chose not to drink the blood of humans, afraid that we would be sought out and destroyed like the others."

"What happened to the victims? Wouldn't they have been turned into vampires as well?"

Vincent smiled warmly. "Not necessarily. The victims cannot become vampires themselves without the vampire's.. Ah, consent."

Tifa's puzzled expression pushed Vincent to smile further.

"When a vampire bites the flesh of a a human, no matter how much blood they take- nothing really happens except that the victim dies and the vampire leaves ecstatically satiated. But if one chooses to make their victim a vampire as well, when they bite into the human's flesh, they must.. to put into terms you might understand, the vampire must put their _soul_ into it. In other words, the vampire must give the human a piece of himself, and then continue to drink every last drop of blood from the human's body. The human is then 'reborn', as a vampire."

He watched Tifa's thoughtful pause.

"Certain rules are attached to this though. You must be born naturally a vampire, and you are limited to committing a piece of your 'soul' to only one other. There is no pain for the human, and it's actually quite a pleasurable experience for both participants. But when one ever feels pain, the one who shares the 'soul' will feel pain as well. All emotions, thoughts, and feelings are opened to one another, creating a near perfect bond."

Vincent turned his gaze away for a moment, regaining his thoughts of where he left off in his past story.

"As I was saying before. The people were terrified when they discovered us in their town, but since we didn't disturb their peace, they in turn left us to ours. It lasted for quite a while when suddenly some people had gone missing. All eyes immediately were on us. Nobody dared to step forward and challenge us, though, until one man.. Hojo. He eventually led a revolt upon my home and family, and succeeded in destroying every last one.. All but me."

Tifa could hear the anger and sadness being suppressed in his voice."But... Where did those people go? The one's who were missing?"

A daring half-smile alighted on Vincent's otherwise sullen face."A couple of the members of my family decided to break our treaty and our honor, and captured a few people to drink their blood. The urge for blood is always strong, Tifa. It takes someone equally as strong to suppress it."

"That's one reason the people revolted. There is more, though. There was a woman at the time, who was very much like yourself. Tall, strong, beautiful with crimson eyes and a heart lifting smile." Vincent smiled sadly.

"Hojo was in love with her. And.. so was a vampire. Hojo couldn't accept this, and became enraged beyond control when he found out that the girl loved only the vampire in return and not him. Her name was.. Lucretia."

Vincent's eyes pierced straight into Tifa's soul, deeply prying and flooding her with all his own emotions about the memory. Her eyes gleamed at the mention of Lucretia's name, as if it sounded familiar to her.

"It was you, wasn't it? You were the vampire she loved."

He simply nodded, never taking his eyes from hers, drinking from her warmth, her light, her beauty. "Tifa, after many, many generations, you are a descendant of that woman. That is our connection."

He watched as her eyes widened with unexpected surprise, a sudden realization striking her hard and heavy. Her grasp around him tightened, looking for comfort and truth. "I know her name.. Her picture is in an old photo album at home."

Vincent nodded. "At first Tifa, I sought for you simply because you reminded me of her in so many ways, but as I watched and learned about you, I discovered that all along I've been longing for _you_. For Tifa Lockhart. You, my love, are the key to my freedom. In your presence alone, I feel no pain, no loneliness and no uncertainty."

Tifa's eyes welled with more tears, feeling the tension in her stomach knotted together like a thousand butterflies in one.

"All this time I've been fighting myself. Tormented, I locked every part of my soul away for what I expected to be an eternity. Under a mask of ice and stone, I could be as cold and cruel as I wished. But when you walked into my life, everything began to shift and change.. And I found myself struggling for control again, between my hate and cruelty and my true self."

The turmoil within Tifa's heart reached it's peak. She couldn't bear to listen any more, feeling her shredded heart slowly sink. She couldn't bear Vincent's confession, couldn't bear Cloud's faithful love, couldn't bear her own betrayal.

She suddenly pushed herself away from Vincent, feeling his wonderful warmth suddenly give way to colness and longing. But no, she absolutely could not allow herself to love him in return. She had to force herself to ignore these undying feelings.

Tears streaming in silver rivulets, she glanced away from Vincent's sweetl face. "Vincent.." He remained still, feeling his own pulse arise with a new angst, suddenly understanding why she had been crying upon her arrival.

"Vincent, I'm sorry. I.. I have to go. And I can't come back." She cast her glance away, closing her eyes with the greatest sorrow and pain she had ever known. "I can't love you in return. I.. I'm not right for you...I can't let myself fall for you."

/But you already have Tifa, you fool./ Her mind angrily retorted. /You know you love him, perhaps even more than Cloud./

/STOP IT!/ She forced herself free from all thought and looked straight into Vincent Valentine's eyes, seeing her own sorrow and anguish reflected in his blood red orbs. Only, his seemed deeper, darker..

"Vincent.. Goodbye." She reached out a hand and tenderly stroked his cheek, observing his handsome face for the last time.

With that she turned and fled, away from Vincent, away from this cursed house and away from her feelings. She exited through the oversized door which had opened before she even touched it, surprising her. However, she didn't stop to speculate; she forced herself through the great door frame and out into the great open air, the frigid air of the rising wind caressing her face and hair.

Running away from everything, she went to the one place she could be comforted and solaced, at least for a moment. She went to the well, centering the town on a raised platform. Climbing it's rickety ladder, she flung herself against the cold stone and let her sadness flow free in a fit of endless sobs and tears.

She never once looked up to see the deepening red ring surrounding the pale face of the round, white moon.

.x.x.x.x.

Vincent felt an emptiness he had never known. It was deeper than the pain he had felt at the loss of his family, deeper than when he knew he would never lay eyes upon his beautiful Lucretia again. He was now completely consumed by loneliness, yet it was even more overbearing than before.

Before Tifa Lockheart had walked into his life, into his heart.

He suddenly felt like he didn't care anymore. He had just confessed his feelings to the woman he loved, the one he had been divinely connected to, and she had turned and fled. His fingers were trembling and he soon felt the tension of his clenched jaw. He figure he would have felt pain, yet he felt nothing. He would have felt his aching heart shatter into thousands of tiny unfixable shards, but he still couldn't feel it.

He had watched the young girl turn and run with tears in her gorgeous eyes, and he willingly opened the door for her. He could have easily locked it, trapping her within and taking her against her will- but he didn't want that for her.

His trembling increased as he fell slowly to his knees, all the beautiful candles in the spacious room suddenly and violently flickering out in a dying breath.

/What I fool I was, thinking she could love me. She is the essence of good and pure, who am I to love her as well? How could I let myself fall into the same trap as before. Now I have nothing. She was the one, the key to my soul, my freedom from pain and despair. She is now gone, and she took my heart with her. What a fool, what a hopeless fool../

Letting his head fall in his hands, the cold metal of his claw hard and cruel against his skin, he let out a deep, mournful wail, unable to capture the void in his tortured soul.

.x.x.x.x.

Cloud's head perked slightly at the strange, mournful sounding cry of a distant entity. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, already knowing who it was.

And why.

He quickly walked to the window and peered outside as he had a million times before already in this single evening. Waiting for Tifa's safe return was really wearing on him in every aspect. He searched what he could see of the cobblestone streets for any sign of her. When he found no sign of life, he peered up at the waxy moon and his breath was captured when he saw the blood red glow that surrounded it.

Panic began to sweep through him, his pulse rising with worry, but the sound of the front door downstairs opening and closing quietly changed that quickly enough.

Cloud tip-toed as quietly as he could back into bed, slipping into the blankets as if he'd never moved from it. Only then did he notice that he left the curtain open; a very big sign that he had been conscious of her the quiet creaks slowly rising up the stairs, Cloud quickly dove for the window and yanked the curtains shut, then dashed back into his bed, snuggling in the same moment Tifa entered their room.

Sucking in his breath and attempting to still his wildly rushing heart, he listened to the quiet shuffle of clothing and the tap of shoes being slowly crawled into the bed, holding her own breath in attempt to not awaken Cloud.

He opened a single eye to peek at her, only to meet her gaze staring straight back as she was leaning over him. A sheepish expression crept over both their faces at the same instance.

Busted.

Cloud could see the faint outline of her swollen eyes, from a harsh fit of tears that couldn't be suppressed. Wordlessly, he opened his arms and welcomed her close. Her skin was cool against his from the chill of the night air, but quickly subdued to his inviting warmth.

Tifa sighed, snuggling in tightly against Cloud. Wordlessly but together, they to pretend to sleep.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.

[A/N part deux: Ok people, so there it is. I've officially cleaned up and trimmed off some excess- make that a lot of excess. Now I can finally move on with the rest of this story! My plot is all set out, everything is in place- it's now all a matter of typing it up and posting it :] For those of you who've followed this all along, I hope you're still around to read the update. For you noobs: I really hope you like my story! Please review and let me know what you guys honestly think. A dose of criticism could do me some good. Thanks so much to everyone, stay tuned for the next new chapter.]


	13. Extreme Author's Note

****HUUUGE Author's Note****

Ladies and Gentleman... I would like to humbly apologize for how long I've left this story untouched. It's almost unbearable to think of how many years it's been (6?). Somehow I came across this site again after such an enormous hiatus, and after reading just a handful of reviews for Raven Beauty, I felt immediately inspired to pick the pen- er, keyboard back up. It took DAYS to remember my old email address, but after furiously wracking my brain I was finally able to log back in and dust off some cobwebs. I've had some time to mature in my writing abilities, so I might start backwards a bit and touch up the older chapters... but I assure you all, Chapter 12 is already in production.

I've recently begun to play FFVII again, fresh from the beginning on the wondrous PS3. (Which is really my boyfriend's, and I'm privileged to even be able to look at it – you know how boys can be with their shiny new toys :] ) I've connected all over again with the characters, and I'm glad to say that I'm ready to breathe new life into their current frozen states in my story... so if you care to bear with me just a little bit longer, there's still quite a ways to go, and my imagination is everything but hindered!

Thanks SO MUCH to all the people who have left reviews; it's because of you that I'm back. For those who have me on their Alerts list – Prepare to be SHOCKED!

-Sinister Saint-

[Tiff]


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